Poor drainage intensifies sufferings

The re-excavation of Laghata River in Moulvibazar’s Kamalganj upazila finally ended after nearly two years, but the area continues to suffer from severe waterlogging issue triggered by the local embankment’s poor drainage system, which has a pipeline instead of a proper culvert.

According to the Water Development Board, Moulvibazar, the re-excavation project began on December 11, 2019. About 24.630 metres of the river have been re-excavated by two contractor firms, SASI and Ishrat Enterprise, with a cost of around Tk 18 crore.

The river finally got back its navigability after a long wait, and local residents can now utilise the adjacent farmlands to cultivate crops such as paddy and winter vegetables. But, the decision to build an embankment without a culvert is causing the area to become waterlogged yet again.

This embankment is incapable of draining excess water from the river – caused by the flash floods and incessant rainfall. The high current and pressure is also damaging the embankment, which could rupture soon, local residents told The Business Post.

During a recent visit to the area, the correspondent found that most of the residents of this upazila are either farmers or fishermen, and they have been suffering from the sand-silt-filled river for years.

Ramjan Ali, leader of Moulvibazar Krishak Sangram Samity, said, “We have long been asking the government to re-excavate the river to end our suffering. We have sent numerous letters to the government, and at last, we got what we wanted.

“However, the placement of an embankment in such an important area of the river is causing the same distress we were in previously. Floodwater has already damaged the dam, and now it cannot drain from the river. The river is now eroding adjacent areas.”

Shahabuddin Ahmed, Moyna Miah, Diren Sarker, along with other farmers of the area, said the Kamalganj upazila is located near a hill slope. Therefore, the region gets waterlogged by hill streams, flash floods, and incessant rainfall every monsoon. Farmers of Potonushar, Shamshernagar, Munshibazar, and Rajnagar regularly lose their croplands to waterlogging. “Every year we cultivate different crops in these lands, but those get ruined in the flood. We suffer such issues twice a year, and we are now penniless,” said Diren.

Moyna Miah, a farmer of Shamshernagar, said, “We thought that once the river is re-excavated, we would not be facing such problems. But the situation has worsened due to the absence of a culvert.”

Shahabuddin said, “This river is now devouring our croplands and threatening to erode our homesteads. As the excess water in the river cannot drain through the pipe to other natural water bodies in the area, the whole area is now under threat.”

Addressing the matter, Executive Engineer Mohammad Akhtarujjaman of the Water Development Board, Moulvibazar said, “The river’s re-excavation work has just been completed, and they had no idea that the embankment was creating these issues.

“We will inspect the area and take measures to mitigate the problem as soon as possible.”