Mindless sand lifting on from near Bangabandhu Bridge

Dredgers continue sand extraction from the Jamuna River near the Bangbandhu Bridge, posing threat to the country's largest bridge connecting the northern region with the capital. The photo was taken from Polshia in Bhuapur upazila under Tangail district a few days ago. Photo: STAR

Sand lifting from Jamuna riverbed close to the Bangabandhu Bridge is posing a threat to the country's largest bridge.
Several villages have been facing serious erosion while large shoals emerged in the river due to the mindless act.
Powerful dredgers have been engaged to lift sand allegedly on verbal permission from the bridge authorities, sources said.
The unplanned sand lifting by some influential people goes on unabated due to their links with political parties as well as public representatives, they said.
During a visit to the area recently, this correspondent saw at least eight powerful dredgers engaged in lifting sand randomly from a very close point of the east side of guide embankment.
Sand lifting was also seen at Gabsara, Khanurbari, Baintain, Madhur Bari, Kornogati areas of the river between Bhuapur upazila in Tangail and Sadar upazila in Sirajganj.
Rafiq Talukder, one of the dredger owners, told this correspondent that they started lifting sand from the area after taking permission from the bridge authorities.
The villages on the east side of the bridge were facing serious erosion while large shoals emerged on the west side, threatening to change the river course to the east, victims said.
Anwar Hossain of the erosion affected Kukadair village in Bhuapur said that the dredgers enter the restricted area at night and leave locations before day break.
He alleged that a large portion of his house was devoured by the river a few days ago as erosion was continuing at villages on the north eastern side of the bridge due the unplanned sand lifting.
Most of the lifted sand is transported by giant cargos and engine boats to eight sand selling points only five kilometers away from the Bangabandhu bridge.
Later hundreds of trucks take the sand to different areas of the country through Jokarchar-Tarakandi flood control embankment-cum-road and Bangabandhu Bridge approach road.
Movement of the hundreds of sand-laden boats and trucks creates problem for the waterways while damages the embankment and road.
Although the sand traders have been doing a brisk business in these vital areas of the bridge for last several years, the authorities concerned seem to turn a blind eye to it, Anwar said.
Contacted, Abul Kalam Azad, an assistant engineer of Bangladesh Bridge Authorities (BBA) at Bangabandhu Bridge site, refuted the allegation of giving verbal permission to anybody to lift sand from near the bridge.
“We do not allow this within 1.2 kilometer of the bridge,” he said.
There is no chance of change in river course as a big shoal has already emerged near the east side of guide embankment, he observed.