Five Sylhet villages under threat of land subsidence
Illegal stone extraction from a popular tourist spot in Gowainghat upazila of Sylhet is creating threat of land subsidence in Bichanakandi village and surrounding areas.
Officer-in-Charge of Gowainghat Police Station Delwar Hossain said three workers died as they were buried in land subsidence while digging a hole in a field for extracting stones near Badepasha Kheya Ghat in February.
Residents of Muslimpara, Bogaia, Bichanakandi, Bitorgul and Kuluncherrarpar villages in the Piyain river area have been passing their days in panic following the incident.
On a visit to the area recently, this correspondent saw that the tourist spot has lost its greenery, and huge holes have been created due to stone lifting. Most of the houses are facing threat of erosion.
Monsur Ahmed of Bichanakandi said a group of illegal stone extractors backed by stone traders are engaged in lifting stones from the river.
Milton Mia of Muslimpara village said they were living under threat of land subsidence due to extraction of stones.
Mohibul Islam, who came from Dinajpur with his family, said, “I visited this spot in 2012 and enjoyed it, but this time I did not enjoy like before due to the situation created by stone lifting.
Save the Heritage and Environment chief coordinator Abdul Hye Al Hadi said the stone lifters are dredging and excavating the banks of the river, which diverted the natural flow of the river.
The Piyain river has become unnavigable due to the illegal stone collecting with boma machines, Hadi said, adding that water cannot flow through the river during flood and hits the banks, causing erosion.
The illegal and machine-based stone collection should be stopped to protect the villages from erosion, he added.
Gowainghat Upazila Chairman Abdul Hakim Chowdhury said unplanned stone lifting might cause land subsidence in the areas. Several large holes have been created in the river, making the nearby structures and riverbanks vulnerable, he added.
Bangladesh Poribesh Andolon's Sylhet chapter General Secretary Abdul Karim Kim said it is important to keep wetlands protected against siltation and degradation. Indiscriminate stone lifting may cause landslide at any time in the five affected villages, he added.
No effective measure has so far been taken to implement the existing laws by ensuring at least one exemplary punishment rather than just fine, Kim added.
The Department of Environment's Assistant Director Mustafizur Rahman told this correspondent that they will take legal action if anybody extracts stones in the area without permission.
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