Practical approach to prevent river death

A  Local Government Engineering Department (LGED) bund in Jazira upazila in Shariatpur, built to provide ease of communication to the locals, has turned into a main cause of ecological disaster. Reportedly, the embankment has severely reduced the water flow of the Arial Khan River. Once a mighty waterway, the Arial Khan is now found to be a decimated narrow patch of water covered in hyacinth. What is disquieting is that this is symptomatic of many rivers in Bangladesh which are dying out, leaving the massive bridges constructed over them for communication totally useless.

In the case of depleting Arial Khan River, it’s believed that when the bund was constructed, no prior vertical clearance was obtained from the Bangladesh Inland Water Transport Authority (BIWTA). The locals of the upazila are aware that the river is on the verge of extinction and, while this may not instantly result in any catastrophe, over the next few decades, a completely dried out river will have adverse impact on the local climate plus livelihood.

It’s also discovered that BIWTA, at a cost of Tk 72 crore, has begun a 52 kilometer long dredging project from the Padma to the mouth of the Arial Khan; however, this effort will end in a debacle unless the bund is moved to allow the river to regain its robust form. What becomes glaring in this one case is the total lack of feasibility study, an assessment of pro’s and con’s before a venture is attempted. If advantages and disadvantages of the bund had been discussed before it was constructed with an in depth look at possible negative impact on the water flow of the river, money, labour cost and the river could have been saved.

The warning of river drying up is not a current one. Several renowned water bodies have turned into a trickle due to the absence of a clearly delineated water sharing policy with India. In addition, others are drying up due to siltation, encroachment plus hastily implemented projects with flawed vision. Once the bund in Jazira is removed, dredging can be resumed in full force with locals encouraged to use the bridge.

The lesson in Shariatpur has to be taken seriously with feasibility study made mandatory whenever constructions near waterways are contemplated. Eventually, the reality is that, whatever we do internally, rivers in Bangladesh can be saved when this country gets a fair share of water from India. Instead of relentless obfuscation, we need straight answers.

 

Practical approach to prevent river death

A Local Government Engineering Department (LGED) bund in Jazira upazila in Shariatpur, built to provide ease of communication to the locals, has turned into a main cause of ecological disaster. Reportedly, the embankment has severely reduced the water flow of the Arial Khan River. Once a mighty waterway, the Arial Khan is now found to be a decimated narrow patch of water covered in hyacinth. What is disquieting is that this is symptomatic of many rivers in Bangladesh which are dying out, leaving the massive bridges constructed over them for communication totally useless. In the case of depleting Arial Khan River, its believed that when the bund was constructed, no prior vertical clearance was obtained from the Bangladesh Inland Water Transport Authority (BIWTA). The locals of the upazila are aware that the river is on the verge of extinction and, while this may not instantly result in any catastrophe, over the next few decades, a completely dried out river will have adverse impact on the local climate plus livelihood. Its also discovered that BIWTA, at a cost of Tk 72 crore, has begun a 52 kilometer long dredging project from the Padma to the mouth of the Arial Khan; however, this effort will end in a debacle unless the bund is moved to allow the river to regain its robust form. What becomes glaring in this one case is the total lack of feasibility study, an assessment of pros and cons before a venture is attempted. If advantages and disadvantages of the bund had been discussed before it was constructed with an in depth look at possible negative impact on the water flow of the river, money, labour cost and the river could have been saved. The warning of river drying up is not a current one. Several renowned water bodies have turned into a trickle due to the absence of a clearly delineated water sharing policy with India. In addition, others are drying up due to siltation, encroachment plus hastily implemented projects with flawed vision. Once the bund in Jazira is removed, dredging can be resumed in full force with locals encouraged to use the bridge. The lesson in Shariatpur has to be taken seriously with feasibility study made mandatory whenever constructions near waterways are contemplated. Eventually, the reality is that, whatever we do internally, rivers in Bangladesh can be saved when this country gets a fair share of water from India. Instead of relentless obfuscation, we need straight answers.