Boat services from different local ghats in Gazipur have been stopped as a vast portion of the Shitalakkhya River has become filled with water hyacinth due to a lack of proper maintenance.
According to local sources, over the past two months, boat services have been disrupted due to the growth of water hyacinth on the water route from Trimohani to Narsingdi’s Charsindur, about 80-kilometre waterways of the river in Gazipur.
Water transports usually ply along the river from Trimohani of Sreepur Upazila in Gazipur to Narayanganj, Rupganj and Dhaka’s Demra. Shitalakshya River is filled with water hyacinth from Trimohani to Narsingdi’s Charsindur.
A senior official from the Water Development Board (WBD) claimed that this situation has arisen in some parts of the river due to fish farming with water hyacinths and bamboo sticks. He also recommended increasing mobile court operations to remove these obstacles.
Locals said that the Shitalakshya River divides Sreepur and Kapasia upazilas. For crossing the river, people from both sides of the river use Goshinga Ghat on the Sreepur side and Dordoria Ghat on the Kapasia side. Students from Chaura Para, Dordoria, Bhuleshwar, Deona, and Hailjor villages of the Kapasia Upazila regularly cross the river using Dordoria Ghat to attend schools and colleges in Sreepur.
Additionally, thousands of workers from Kapasia work in various garment factories in Sreepur. The suspension of boat services has put them in a difficult situation because travelling to their destinations by road requires a detour of 15 to 20 kilometres.
Boatman Abdur Rahman said that due to water hyacinth, they are facing difficulties in plying boats as they need additional time and fuel.
Goods-carrying boat operator Delwar Mia said, "The boat can't move through the water hyacinth. Even if we set a fare, traders don't come because of this problem."
Jamal Uddin said, "From Ghorashal in Narsingdi to Kaliganj, Sreepur, Kapasia, and Trimohoni in Gazipur, the river is clogged with water hyacinth. Trawlers can't operate because of the water hyacinth. A one-hour journey now takes a whole day due to the water hyacinth.
“Where it used to take 30 litres of fuel to travel from Kaliganj to Boromi, it now takes 130 litres. The presence of water hyacinth in the river costs the operators an additional 100 litres of fuel."
Businessman Mofizul Islam said that many farmers wait by the river for trawlers to arrive and some spend their whole day waiting, while others can't recover their production costs by taking alternative land routes to transport their agricultural goods.
A passenger Farhad Hossain said, "I work in a garment factory. Due to the excessive growth of water hyacinth in the river and the resulting stoppage of boat services, I haven't been able to go to the office for several days. As a result, I will miss attendance bonuses and production bonuses."
During a visit, this correspondent found that a student of Khojekhani Girls’ High School was waiting for a boat. She said that she had been standing at the ghat since morning and there was no boat. After two hours, she found out that boat services were suspended.
Abu Bakker Siddique Akand, an assistant professor at Sreepur Muktiyuddha Rahmat Ali Government College, said that students from various areas including neighbouring Kapasia Upazila, Dordoria, Rayeda, and Amraid areas, come to our college for study and they use the Goshinga Ghat of the Shitalakshya River. Due to the excessive growth of water hyacinth in the river, boat services are currently suspended. As a result, many students from those areas cannot attend college.
Goshinga Ghat leaseholder Mintu Mia said, "I need to collect Tk 6,800 daily. Otherwise, I won't be able to pay the lease money. I am tensed due to the suspension of boat services."
Kapasia Upazila Nirbahi Officer (UNO) AKM Lutfar Rahman said that it is not possible to remove the water hyacinth jam with the funds from the Upazila administration. BIWTA's cooperation is needed to remove them.
Nur Sopan, the of BIWTA's Narsingdi-Ghorashal river port and transport officer, said, “The canal from Shitalakshya River’s Narayanganj part to Narsingdi’s Charsindur is suitable for navigation. We need to look into the suspension of boat services from Charsindur to Boromi in Sreepur Upazila. We have plans to bring this under our authority."
Bangladesh Water Development Board's Executive Engineer in Narsingdi, Bijoy Indra Shankar Chakraborty, said that as there is no Water Development Board in Gazipur, this sector is managed from Narsingdi in coordination with the district administration. BIWTA works on the rivers.
Bijoy further said that those who make fish enclosures are responsible for the permanent presence of the water hyacinths. During the winter season, when the water level remains low, the roots of the water hyacinths touch the ground and spread quickly. Due to the water flow, water hyacinths are not supposed to stay in one place but to move away.
However, because of the enclosures, the water hyacinths are more prevalent. There is no scope for fish farming by making enclosures in the river. If the enclosure owners were punished through mobile courts, they would refrain from farming fish in the river, he added.
