Jute rotting pollutes 40km of Chitra

Water of around 40-kilometre area of Chitra River in Narail district has become dangerously polluted as farmers are rotting jute in the river due to lack of sufficient water in the beels, marshy lands and ponds.
The pollution is causing massive death to fish and other aquatic creatures, and their decomposed bodies have made the situation all the more worse.
Failing to use the literally untouchable water, people on both sides of the river are facing untold sufferings.
Every year, farmers use the water of Chitra River for rotting jute in the harvest season but this year the situation has turned grave due to lack of necessary rain during the monsoon.
In around 40-kilometre area from Sigha-Harigara village under Narail Sadar upazila up to Kalia upazila, farmers are putting large amounts of jute plants in the river water for rotting this year, locals said.
“As Chitra River is used for rotting jute plants during the harvest season, its water becomes unusable. Besides, fishes and other aquatic creatures die due to lack of oxygen. Everybody should become aware to evade the immense danger,” said Borun Kumer Biswas, associate professor of biology department in Narail Government Victoria College.
Fishermen Sukumar Malo and Subod Malo of Pangkovila village said life has become hard for them as fishes are facing massive death in Chitra River that has been spoiled by rotten jute.
The farmers have been asked to rot jute using ribbon method but they are hardly following the suggestion, said ABM Fazlur Rahman, deputy director of Department of Agriculture Extension office at Narail.
In the district, 20,073 hectares of land was brought under jute cultivation during the current season, he said.