Illegal fishing structures removed from river

The upazila administration removed some illegal fishing structures from different areas of the Kanchamatia river in Ishwarganj upazila of Mymensingh on Monday.

A mobile court led by Assistant Commissioner (Land) in Ishwarganj Sayeeda Parvin removed a total of 12 structures and fined the structure makers Tk 6000, said Senior Fisheries Officer ASM Sanwer Rasel, who accompanied the mobile court, during the drive that continued for hours from noon.

The Kanchamatia, a tributary of the Old Brahmaputra, is the only river passing through the upazila and it usually contains sufficient water for three months during the rainy season and the illegal fishing structures are made during this period, said the official.

Due to illegal structures, the massive growth of hyacinth hinders people's movement across the river at many points while river water cannot easily pass to the Narosunda River in Kishoreganj as the natural flow is seriously obstructed, he added.

Contacted, Ishwarganj Upazila Nirbahi Officer (UNO) Md Zakir Hossen said, "The vested interests make the structures for cultivating fish at the start of monsoon every year and it continues for months. The obstruction hampers the natural growth of river fishes, making those less available for common people."

Drives will continue to remove all the structures for bringing back the navigability of the river, which will help to develop indigenous fishes and local agriculture, he said.

Hailing the drive, local journalist Md Mustafizur Rahman said such drives against the vested interest quarters should continue for saving the flow and ecological balance in the river.