Money spent on dredging gone to waste
Bhadra used to be over 500 feet wide, but encroachers began to fill it up in the 80s. The place was cleared during excavation. But within a year the river began to fill up.
Only two years after the Tk 46.25 crore re-excavation project was taken for Bhadra river in Khulna's Dumuria upazila, it has once again been filled with silt. According to Water Development Board (WDB) officials, the amount of silt deposited on the riverbed is higher in the southwestern region, Dumuria being one.
The project was supposed to have two sluice gates on both sides of the river. However, the plan was scrapped following instructions from Prime Minister's Office, said Ashraful Islam, executive engineer of BWDB.
"The project was supposed to build two sluice gates at Dighalia and Teligati at a cost of Tk 30 crore, but they were not constructed," he said.
During excavation, Teligati and Tiabunia embankments in Kharnia were cut off, while silt came through the two points to Bhadra and Saltha rivers.
According to WDB sources, a project worth Tk 76.25 crore was approved at an Ecnec meeting in September 2016 to dredge 30 kilometres of Saltha and Bhadra. Later, other expenses were cut, and the cost was Tk 46.25 crore.
The 2018-2019 fiscal was set as the implementation period.
Twenty-one kilometres of Bhadra were excavated, which was completed in June 2019. The project also included connecting the rivers to different areas.
Around 563 small and large installations on Bhadra, including three brick-fields, were demolished before the excavation.
"Bhadra used to be over 500 feet wide, but encroachers began to fill it up in the 80s. Within a few years, the water stopped flowing," said Intaz Sheikh (72), a resident of Shobhana village.
"However, the place was cleared during excavation. But within a year the river began to fill up."
Robiul Islam, a resident of Bamundia village, said after excavation, the soil removed from the river was kept on the banks, which later got washed away in the rain and found its way back into the river. "This whole issue has led to the permanent closure of the area's drainage system. Now, even a drizzle triggers waterlogging. We also find ourselves faced with a lack of water for irrigation," said Sayed Ahmed of Gonali village.
"The river was vibrant even 20 years ago. Many people depended on the river for their livelihoods. It played an important role in the economic development process, contributing to transportation of goods and fishing," he said.
Visiting the area on Saturday, this correspondent saw a long field in the area where the river ran, with cattle grazing.
At present, the canals in the area measure only 10-15 feet wide.The tide does not facilitate the flow of water like it used to. The marks left on the field suggest that paddy was planted last year on the flooded land on both sides. It has now turned into a plain land. Locals have started to grab the area again.
AKM Tahmidul Islam, additional chief engineer of WDB's south-western zone, said Bhadra was supposed to have two sluice gates at both ends, which was later scrapped. As a consequence, the river has silted up within two years of the excavation.
"A new project worth Tk 1,819 crore has been sent to the department concerned for the excavation of small rivers and canals in the vicinity."
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