Upstream sand turns agri lands infertile

Massive arrival of sand from the upstream in Indian Meghalaya badly affects soil fertility and overall ecology, much to the worry of thousands families in different villages under Taherpur upazila of Sunamganj.

“At least 3,500 acres of fertile land in Chanpur, Rojoni Line, Maram, Burungamara and Rajai villages have gone under sand in the past eight years, causing huge losses of agricultural production, said Jamal Uddin, former chairman of Borodol Uttar Union Parishad (UP).

“On July 20, 2008, suddenly big chunks of earth from the hills came down and buried the houses, roads, and paddy fields in North Bordol UP and nearby floodplains of the Jadukata river in a morning. Unplanned mining in Mehgalaya causes such landslides,” he said.

“Within a few minutes, the nearby ponds and wetlands were filled up with sand and stone chips during a flash flood that day,” said Kuddus Mia, 45, a resident of Borodol village, and a witness to the incident.

Abdur Razzak, president of Chanpur Bazar committee, said many small and medium lowlands have already disappeared and fishes and aquatic life are badly affected as consequences of unplanned uranium mining in Meghalaya.

It has a larger impact in and around the Tanguar Haor and Surma river basin area, he added. 

On several occasions fishes and aquatic lives died in the Jadukata river without any apparent reason, he said.

“During the past few years, I failed to produce any crop on 20 acres of land that previously gave three harvests a year. Massive arrival of sand is responsible for the situation,” said Andru Sholomar, a leader of the Khashi community and an inhabitant of Rajai village in the upazila.

“In only two weeks during the last year's flood, three more acres of my land got covered with sand brought in by the rain-triggered floods from the nearby hills in India.

Locals alleged that the government authorities are yet to take any effective initiative for saving the area's ecology or removing the layers of sand by excavating or dredging.

Unplanned activities in the West Khasi Hills in Meghalaya and consequent hill slides affect the Jadukata river and agricultural land and wetlands in the border areas of Tahirpur, said Sharif Jamil, joint secretary of Bangladesh Paribesh Andolon.

Both Bangladesh and India should take serious steps to protect the people, biodiversity and economy in the areas, he added.

Md Zahedul Haq, deputy director of the Department of Agriculture Extension in Sunamganj, said he visited the area and reported to the higher authorities about the matter.

However, the area of affected land would be less than what the locals claim, he said.