The Old Brahmaputra is in quite an awful state for years of rampant river grabbing and sand lifting that has put its existence at stake, even its distributaries are in danger. The river stretches 283 kilometres all the way from Jamalpur’s Dewanganj to Bhairab in Kishoreganj. Historically, it has kept innumerous smaller rivers along its path alive. But with Brahmaputra’s natural flow severely affected, it remains to be seen what the future holds for all water bodies in the region, and consequently, the people. There are some 47 rivers, small and large, in the Mymensingh region, though many of them have ceased to resemble rivers and look more like canals now. With the river’s flow drying up, all of these smaller rivers are losing their navigability.
There was once a time when the Brahmaputra was 12-14 kilometres wide at different points. Today, it has come down to merely 100 to 200 metres. A six-kilometre char at the upper basin of Brahmaputra at Dewanganj of Jamalpur is considered to have changed the shape of the mighty river over the last three decades. Floods magnified by collection of sand in the riverbed have damaged community life over the past few years, seriously damaging crop fields, dwelling houses, livestock, and displacing thousands of people in the Mymensingh region.
Once upon a time, huge boats carrying hundreds of maunds of agricultural produce used to be plied from Mymensingh to many destinations. Meanwhile, a dredging project covering 227 kilometres of the Brahmaputra from its offtake in Dewanganj upazila of Jamalpur to Toak in Mymensingh’s Gafargaon upazila at a cost of around Tk 2,763 crore, is slated to finish in June 2024. The Brahmaputra requires proper dredging and monitoring by the concerned department, as well as the eviction of the grabbers to ensure its protection. For a durable protection of the river, the government must follow the Cadastral Survey (CS) Khatiyan. We must say, the government should stop river pollution and ensure water flow.
