UNABATED sand lifting from the Dhaleshwari River in Tangail could result in losing vast locality to river erosion. Dhaleshwari, a tributary of the Jamuna, flows through Tangail Sadar and the influential sand traders with illicit nexus with political high-ups are using powerful dredging machines to lift sand near Porabari Bazar that might put the nearby structures under risk. Sand lifters earn hefty amount of money running the illegal business and destroying the environment.
Locals fear a wide stretch of agricultural and many establishments can be eroded by river erosion because of the illegal sand lifting. The Charabari-Torabganj bridge might be devoured if erosion hits the area. If sand lifting continues, local people’s farming and household lands will be lost into the river. But the inaction of the officials has made the illegal sand miners more desperate, while the villagers remain mum over the illegal activity as most of the perpetrators have connections with the bigwigs. On occasions, mobile courts of the local administration conduct raid and burn sand lifting equipment but that’s not enough to stop them.
The rivers are our national resources. It is our duty to protect them and bring the unauthorized sand traders under law so that nobody dares venture the same in future. According to Sand Fields and Soil Management Act, 2010, extracting sand from open space and river beds for commercial purposes is a punishable offence. Defying the law, sand traders have been dredging the river over the last few years, which put a number of cropland, bridges, and roads in Porabari under risk of erosion.
Extraction of sand from rivers are nothing new in our country but in recent years it has become a matter for concern as this is causing collapse of banks and other establishments. The situation becomes worse in the rainy season as river banks become more vulnerable.
The sand should be, therefore, extracted only under a plan, which is based on river flow dynamics study. The unplanned sand mining could cause degradation of rivers. It’s very unfortunate that the authorities concerned yet not took any effective step to stop unplanned extraction and lifting of sand despite repeated warnings.
