Brahmaputra dying a slow death

For the longest river in the country, the Brahmaputra is in quite the awful state. Years of rampant river grabbing and sand lifting has put its existence in such a crisis that even its tributaries are in danger today.

The 283-kilometre river stretches all the way from Jamalpur's Dewanganj to Bhairab in Kishoreganj. Historically, it has kept innumerous smaller rivers along its passage alive.

But with Brahmaputra's natural flow severely affected, it remains to be seen what the future holds for all water bodies in the region, and consequently, its people as well.

According to Bangladesh Water Development Board (BWDB) sources, there are some 47 rivers, small and large, in Mymensingh region, though many of them have ceased to resemble rivers and look more like canals now.

Of the rivers, Sutia, Shila, Banar, Khiru, Laithi, Norosunda, Kanchamatia, Aymon, Jhenai, Rangsa, Arial Khan, and more depend on the natural flow of the Brahmaputra. But with the river's flow drying up, all of these smaller rivers are losing their navigability.

There was once a time when the Brahmaputra was 12-14 kilometres wide across different points. Today, it has come down to merely 100 to 200 metres, said Nurul Amin Kalam, secretary of Mymensingh Zila Nagorik Andolon, a local citizens' body.

He identifies a six-kilometre char at the upper basin of Brahmaputra at Dewanganj

of Jamalpur as the culprit that has changed the shape of the mighty river over the last three decades.

While visiting Kalibari and Kachari Ferry Ghat areas recently, it was found that the river is now riddled with household garbage, which is another contributor to its slow descent.

What's more, Ibnul Sayeed Rana, member of Brahmaputa Waterkeepers Bangladesh, told this correspondent that when they visited different points of the river on various occasions, they found that it has even changed its course over the years, shrinking at different points.

As a result, floods have damaged community life over the past few years, seriously affecting crop fields, houses, livestock, and displaced thousands of people in Mymensingh region, Rana added.

Once upon a time, huge boats carrying hundreds of maunds of agricultural products used to be transported from Mymensingh to diverse destinations, including Narayanganj, Manikganj and Gazipur, year-round.

Back then, the ghats of the region buzzed with traders coming in from other regions, said 75-year old boatman Chand Mia at Kachari Ferry Ghat.

But as the river's fate has changed, the people who live off it are also becoming prone to more and more uncertainty.

At an open discussion jointly organised by Brahmaputra Surakhha Andolon and Bangladesh Environmental Lawyers Association recently, speakers said rivers are the veins of a country and as such, they should be nurtured properly.

Advocate Nazrul Islam Chunnu, convener of Jono Uddyog Mymensingh, a social initiative said, Brahmaputa, the lifeline of Mymensingh region, requires proper dredging and monitoring by the concerned department, as well as eviction of the grabbers to ensure its protection.

For permanent protection of the river, the government must follow the Classification Survey (CS) Khatiyan, added Chunnu.

Speakers at the session also said over two crore people of this region could be benefited if the river is properly dredged.  

Contacted, Arafat Ahmed, sub-divisional engineer of BWDB, Mymensingh, admitted to the complaints, saying they have prepared a list of grabbers and will start eviction drives soon.   They will also launch drives against polluters and sand lifters, he said.

Meanwhile, a 227-kilometre dredging project in Brahmaputra river from its offtake in Dewanganj upazila of Jamalpur to Toak in Mymensingh's Gafargaon upazila that was started in 2019, at a cost of around Tk 2,763 crore, is slated to finish in June 2024, he added.