Woes of Bhabadah
Waterlogging has now become a permanent problem plaguing three upazillas of Jashore and two upazilas of Khulna since the early 80s. But the measures taken to mitigate, if not cure the problem, does not seem to be in accord with suggestions of most of the experts in this field. The Water Development Board (WDB) has been trying to pump out stagnant water from the Bhabadah region using 20 pumps since the beginning of the year. But this has brought insignificant results, and the current measures will not do. The gains claimed by the executive engineer of WDB Jashore—that the water level has reduced by at least one metre compared to the previous year—is only notional. The reduction could be because the area has received less rainfall than last year. What the experts suggest is perhaps less expensive and more efficacious, which is Tidal River Management (TRM) method.
What is needed in Bhabadah and indeed the rest of the southwestern part of Bangladesh, which remains waterlogged for a good part of the year, and some areas among them for the entire year, is a sustainable programme for long term management of the river basins. About 10 to 15 lakh people in the south-west coastal region have to endure the problem year after year. The problem can be addressed realistically only through the effective management of the tidal rivers. In fact, at one point in time, TRM was employed in several areas of the region but was stopped. In fact, up until 2012 water logging was reduced due to TRM, which was stopped for some inexplicable reason.
Although TRM is the ideal natural solution, and it requires less infrastructure and costs less, there are certain impediments that militate against implementation of the measure, one of which is that it requires land, which people are not willing to give up easily. TRM also disrupts fish farming, and that is why the local people are not inclined towards it. We believe that solving waterlogging requires a multi-pronged approach, and there cannot be a one-size-fits-all solution for the entire region. TRM may not be effective for the entire southwestern part of Bangladesh. But it should be used where the method can be more effective, like in Bhabadah. Pumping out water can be a temporary measure, but in the long run, it will drain out the public coffers needlessly.
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