The earthen road has put an end to navigability of the canal at its Wasspur end.

The 15-km-long Atir Khal originates from the Buriganga river at Wasspur on the opposite of Basila and enters Keraniganj area. It then flows into two branches at Emargaer Matha, one km downstream. One branch heads toward the Dhaleswari river in Kolatia and the other flows back towards the Buriganga through Atir Bazar, Panchdana, Balurchar, Bhangabari and Kholamura. In the late 70s, the entire canal was dredged to restore navigability.

The owner of the brick kiln claims that he owns the land on which he built the road and that he has been paying land taxes for years. He constructed the road to facilitate transportation of bricks from his kiln to different markets.

"This is not a canal but my own land, and for years people have used it as a canal," said Latt Mia, owner of the kiln. "I will submit my land documents to the deputy commissioner (DC) of Dhaka to prove my ownership of the land."

DC Md Abdul Bari, who is custodian of the canal, said although Atir Khal is an age-old navigable route, the entire canal has somehow been occupied by people who are producing documents to justify their ownership of it. His office is going to hold an urgent meeting and chalk out a plan to save the Atir Khal, he said.

"We have already initiated steps to lodge a case against the land grabbers as we urgently need to stop them from filling up the canal," Bari said.

He however said he does not have any plan to restore navigability of the canal until disposal of the case.

Thousands of commuters, vegetable traders, milkmen and farmers from nearby villages use the canal every day to reach the city markets through the Buriganga. Motorised boat service is available for them.

Locals in Wasspur and Looterchar alleged that by blocking the water flow of the canal, the brick kiln owner has not only ended navigability of the canal but also paved the way for others to grab the entire canal.

"For about three months in the winter, the canal dries up at places where villagers used to grow winter vegetables. But now many people claim the canal to be their own land," said Suruj Ali of Looterchar, who comes to the capital daily to sell the milk produced at his cattle farm.

"This canal was excavated once in the late 70s, which greatly benefited people of the villages in the area. But negligence of the authorities to protect the canal has encouraged many to grab it," said Mohammad Alam, a trader at Atir Bazar.

In a bid to solve the problem of waterlogging in the capital, the government last year launched a drive to recover the natural canals in and around it, which have long been encroached upon. The existing laws to protect water bodies provide for heavy punishment including imprisonment of encroachers.