Salinity in the southern region
Barisal division, Khulna division, and some districts in the Patuakhali and Noakhali areas, form the southern region of Bangladesh. The greater part of this region that roughly is equal to one fourth of the country spatially, is coastal in nature or relatively closer to the sea than other regions.
But the southern region of Bangladesh is undergoing the adverse effects of interventions in the free flow of waters such as from the Farraka Barrage built by India. This barrage and other obstructive structures built on the other side across the border have led to gradual but alarming decrease in the free-flow of waters into lower riparian Bangladesh. As a result, the saline sea waters have been pushing up inland because of the poor flow in the rivers that cannot adequately push out the sea waters. Big areas near the coasts have been affected by salinity and progressively more and more areas are meeting a similar fate. Not only salinity, the leaner flow in the rivers of the southern region has also meant faster deposition of silt and the raising of their beds. Thus, the rivers across the region need comprehensive dredging. Two consequences can be expected from such dredging. The flows in them could improve having a better effect in reducing salinity. Flood protection to some extent may also be achieved from the same.
Salinity is not only threatening agriculture in the area, it is also posing as a serious threat to various flora and fauna in the Sunderbans forest which Bangladesh shows off abroad as one of its great possessions. Salanity has been such a problem that in large tracts of what had been once cultivable lands, nothing of much value grows nowadays. People on a large scale were forced to migrate to other areas. The saline taste of even the underground tubewell water is a risk to public health. Thus, apart from river dredging, it should be planned whether fresh water from other areas of the country can be diverted to this region. And very significantly, government must engage in fast-track productive negotiations with India for the latter to release our fairs share of waters in the common rivers, specially in the dry season. Preservation and use of rain water also need to be promoted here.
The newly developed types of paddy that can withstand salinity should be extensively introduced in this region. Government should also expedite now implementation of the planned Padma Barrage Project to overcome the effects of Farraka and salinity.
