DUMURIA, KHULNA, Dec 15: Rivers are dying one after another in Dumuria Upazila of the district due to unabated accumulation of sediment.
Before the polder system, all tidal sediments would get accumulated in beels. But now sediments are getting accumulated on river beds. This is killing the rivers, causing harm to the environment.
Water-logging has been causing immense suffering to over three lakh dwellers in 14 unions in the upazila since 1980.
Hamkura, Shoilmari, Purba Shalta, Bhadra, and Amtali rivers have died while the Joykhali River is counting days to die.
Teligati, Ghangrail and Pachwim Shalta rivers are suffering navigability crises. The entire upazila has been water-logged.
According to sources, Tidal River Management (TRM) system was implemented in Beel Dakatia, Beel Bhaina, Khokshia and Kedaria Beel in Bhobdaha area. The result was good. If this system is implemented in other areas, the rivers can be saved.
But the TRM implementation has been suspended for the last 10 years. It has caused navigability crisis and water stagnation in the lower basins of Teligati and Ghangrail rivers, the sources added.
Water Development Board (WDB) is committed to implementing the TRM in the Hamkurah basin. A survey of the governments specialised organization IWM recommended making a project in Madhugram and Madhabkati beels on the basin.
Bangladesh Delta Plan-2100 emphasises TRM implementation on lower basins of Hamkurah and Ghangrail rivers. But the WDB is yet to take any initiative.
It has been proven many times that it is not possible to save rivers by dredging. In the past, Hori, Bhadra, Shoilmari, Purba Shoilmari and other rivers were dredged. But these got filled again with sediments within one/two years.
In this backdrop, only TRM implementation can save the rivers, the sources maintained.
