Anisur Rahman Khan :
Bangladesh was endowed with the numerous rivers crisscrossed over its geographical area from time immemorial, but with the passage of time many rivers have disappeared due to climate change, siltation and increased man-made activities.
The water flow in the existing rivers is decreasing every year as many of the trans-border rivers — Padma, Teesta and Surma — are not getting enough water to keep its navigability round the river as the upper riparian country India is diverting water for their uses.
The low flow of water, heavy siltation and encroachment of river banks are killing the rivers gradually before the concerned authorities.
Experts opined that many of the existing rivers will also die in the future if such activities continue without taking proper steps.
River erosion is the worst natural disaster in Bangladesh and about 6,000 hectares of land is lost every year due to river erosion in the country. As a result, a large number of people have become landless due to river erosion every year.
In absence of sustainable plan to prevent river erosion, valuable properties, roads, markets, schools, colleges, mosques, madrassas and graveyards are constantly disappearing under the river in a regular basis because of river erosion across the country.
Though the government has been spending crores of taka in the name of construction of dams, roads and dumping blocks to prevent river erosion by different departments including Bangladesh Water Development Board, most of efforts have gone ineffective, said the green activists.
According to the river experts, at least 77 rivers have totally been disappeared from the map of Bangladesh, with their beds serving as croplands, the experts disclosed. The experts noted that rivers are disappearing due to the unplanned construction of embankments and culverts, unabated encroachment, the absence of dredging, the lack of water flow, urbanisation, siltation, earthquakes, climate changes and construction of barrages and withdrawal of water with the construction of dams in the upstream.
Against this backdrop, Bangladesh observed the World Rivers Day yesterday (Sunday) like elsewhere across the globe.
There were about 30,000 km of waterways in the country. But now major and minor rivers streams provide a waterway network of no more than 6,000 km during full monsoon, while it shrinks to about 3,814km in the dry season.
According to a survey by the Netherlands Engineering Consultants (NEDECO) of the Netherlands, carried out between 1965 and 1967, some 310 large and small rivers were flowing across the country, while the National River Protection Commission (NRPC) has claimed that around 410 large and small rivers are still flowing in the country.
Meanwhile, the Bangladesh Inland Water Transport Authority (BIWTA) has restored a total of 2,340 km of waterways by spending Tk 1617.02 crore in the last 10 years the dredging projects to restore the country’s 53 important rivers in two phases and to increase their navigability thereby keeping the waterways navigable round the year.
Though the government took up a 10-year project in July 2012 at a cost of Tk 1,923 crore to develop a total of 2,386 km of waterways by 2021, the BIWTA has successfully completed 98 per cent work by June this year.
With urbanisation and development fast replacing a river-centric, agro-based economy, the gouna nouka (goods-carrying boats), which were once a common sight on riverine stretches of Bangladesh, have now become relics of a pastoral age.
Many rivers like the Chitra, Daudkhali, Chengrail, Ghanoraj, Betna, Mukuleswari, Labangabati, Herther, Atharobeki, Salta, Dakua Khal, Sui, Dhanu, Balardi, Phutki, Mora Kumar and Muchikhali have completely vanished from Bangladesh’s map.
Besides, most portions of rivers like the Padma, Ganges, Teesta, Brahmaputra, Jamuna, Dhaleswari, Sandhya, Meghna, Buriganga, Shitalakhya and Bangalee have already dried up because of the irresponsibility of local residents and the government’s negligence, complained green activists and river experts.
About 45 rivers like the Kaliganga, Bangshi, Banar, Patnai, Jadukatha, Manu, Mogra, Dakatia, Dhorla, Old Brahmaputra, Mohananda, Arialkha, Gorai, Hura Sagor, Karotoa, Bibiana, Pagla, Rakti, Dakua, Barak, Patnai, Kangsha, Turag, Nabaganga, Ichamati, Madhumati, Dumuria, Someswari, Balu, Jamuneswari and Dhaleswari are about to die.
Environmentalists have hailed the government plan as a good step to restore the country’s rivers and said that if the project is implemented, the country’s overall environment will change and its rivers will get life again.
Terming rivers as the lifeline of the country, the green activist rued that some unscrupulous people were involved in grabbing land by filing up the rivers and such rogue people should brought under the law of the country.
Rivers shape the civilisation, culture, communication, cuisine, economy, ecology, heritage and history of this delta country, but now all that is in jeopardy on account of dams, diversions, pollution, encroachment, ecologically insensitive projects and indiscriminate sand mining of the riverbeds.
Once the rivers are dredged, the production of crops, ducks, fish and trading on waterways will be increased, he said adding that transportation of goods and other trades are cheaper than highways too.
(The writer is a senior journalist)
