Dharla River turns into canal

The transboundary Dharla River in Lalmonirhat and Kurigram have already dried up and turned into canals due to a lack of water flow from upstream India.

The scarcity of water flow is affecting people’s livelihood, cropping patterns and the environment in the region seriously, said locals.

As the river has turned into a narrow channel, the boatmen and fishermen, who depend on the river to earn their livelihood, have become unemployed. They are searching for other jobs.

The Dharla used to flow all year round a decade ago, but nowadays there is not enough water in winter for optimal agriculture. Across the villages on the river in the region, the situation is gloomy. The river, which can be up to five km wide, is currently reduced to a width of about 30 metres, with only knee-deep water.

Abul Miah, 50, a farmer of Char Grokmodonl under Fulbari upazila of Kurigram district said Dharla has turned into a narrow channel for the last few years making the people living beside the river sufferers. Almost parts of the river dried up in the mid of November for the scarcity of water flow from the upstream and sandy chars developed in the river. But the scenario is different during the monsoon; the river takes a serious turn engulfing houses, trees, establishments, and vast tracts of croplands and rendering hundreds of people homeless.

Hamid Ali, 60, a boatman of Hatiarbazar Ghat of the same upazila said the boatmen usually lose jobs during the winter season due to the absence of water in the river. People can cross the river amid the knee-deep long water by walking. Many people use boats from the ghat to go to different riverside places for their purposes when the river is full of water. During the season, he earns at least Tk 500 for ferrying people in the boat from the ghat.

In his boyhood, he witnessed a huge business of goods transportation in large-size boats through the waterways to different parts of the country from the river ghat. It remained busy for almost the year. Traders and businessmen used different sizes of boats to carry their products from here. A large amount of raw jute had been transported through the river route to different places in the country.

Rustom Ali, a boatman of Kurul village under Lalmonirhat Sadar made similar observations. The river was once a great resource to maintain their livelihood. He lost his job due to a shortage of water flow in the main river.

“I have been facing trouble maintaining my family as my earning source has stopped,” he said.

Abul Kashem, 68, a farmer of the same village in Lalmonirhat has 10 bighas of land on the banks of the Dharla. But he can grow crops only on less than 5 bighas once a year. The rest remains either submerged or too dry to cultivate.

According to the Department of Agricultural Extension (DAE), about 60 per cent of an estimated 90,000 hectares of land in the river basin areas of the region remains unutilised in the dry season.

Angur Miah, 55, a farmer at Kharibari village of Fulbari upazila under Kurigram district said he is feeling sad observing the sorry state of the river.

According to the Water development Board, Kurigram office, the Dharla River is a tributary of the Brahmaputra which is a trans-boundary river flowing through India, Bhutan, and Bangladesh. It enters Bangladesh through Changrabandha- Patgram upazila of Lalmonirhat district. The core channel of the river originated from Koochbihar, India. It merges with the Brahmaputra River a few kilometres away from Kurigram in its southeastern part.

Executive Engineer, Water development Board, Lalmonirhat, Mizanur Rahman said a huge quantity of sediment from upstream India comes into Bangladesh during monsoon and fills up the river bed of the Teesta and Dharla rivers every year.

It is necessary to dredge the river bed to remove the excess sediment and revive the flow of river water, he also said.

Director of the Riverine People and Associate Professor of the Department of Bengali of Begum Rokeya University Tuhin Wadud said the river dries up during the month of November to May and the riverbed becomes compacted creating hazards for the livelihood of the people depending on the river and loss of biodiversity in the northern districts.

During monsoons and flash floods, the river cannot accommodate the rush of water and erodes the bank causing loss of lives and properties. Scientific dredging and proper nurture need to maintain the water flow and depth of the river, he added.