'Dredge Kobadak river'
Our Correspondent, Satkhira
Leaders of Kabodak Bachao Andolon Samannay Committee (coordination committee to save Kabodak) at a press conference in Jessore yesterday urged the government to re-excavate Kobadak river to save over 50 lakh people in three districts from recurring flooding.The Kobadak is the lifeline for over 50 lakh people of 77 villages in Jessore, Khulna and Satkhira districts. The silted river can not retain water, causing recurring floods and directly affecting over 10 lakh people living near its banks, they said. As flood water can not flow out through the silted river, water-logging has become a problem for people in the river basin areas, seriously affecting agriculture and other means of livelihood, they said. “This problem persists in the region. Whenever there is rain there is water-logging as the river is silted up”, Anil Biswas, convenor of the Samannay Committee. Over the years, encroachment of the riverbank by land grabbers and obstruction of its flow by fish farmers hastened its death. Biswas demanded immediate government steps to remove the encroachments and obstructions and dredging of the river. Restoring Kobadak's link with Mathabhanga by re-excavating it would solve the problem to a great extent, he said.
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