Kohelia River in Maheshkhali, Cox’s Bazar, is dying due to encroachment, pollution, and filling
The Kohelia River flows through Kalamarchhara, Matarbari and Dhalghata in Moheshkhali Upazila of Cox’s Bazar. It has been flowing at its own pace with the tides for ages. In its heyday, Kohelia was a rushing stream.
The Matarbari Power Plant has been established on the banks of this river. Recently, this river is on the verge of disappearing due to encroachment, pollution and filling. Large boats once carried salt on this river, but now it’s hard for regular vessels to navigate it.
Recently, different environmental organizations of Bangladesh formed a human chain in Yunushkhali Bazar alongside the Kohelia River to call for its restoration.
Speakers at the human chain organized by BAPA, the Kohelia River Protection Committee, the Kohelia Fishermen Cooperative Association, and the Coastal Protection Forum warned that the Kohelia River’s destruction from encroachment and pollution would endanger the livelihoods of hundreds of fishermen, salt farmers, and local businesses.
The speakers urged an immediate halt to the unplanned filling and encroachment around the Kohelia River, citing the risk of environmental disaster. They called for the river’s boundaries to be defined and restored.
Abu Bakkar Siddique, General Secretary of the Maheshkhali Regional Branch of the Kohelia River Protection Committee, warned that the Kohelia River is filling up quickly and will disappear soon without action from the authorities. Therefore, we strongly demand the government to create an environment for fishermen to fish by dredging the river.
During infrastructure development in Matarbari, a large portion of the Kohelia River was filled with silt. Currently, various wastes and soil from the project are being dumped directly into Kohelia through pipes. As a result, the river is filling up more and more day by day.
Salt farmer Nurul Alam stated that the filling of Kohelia has made it impossible for engine-powered vessels, including large and medium-sized cargo boats for transporting salt, to operate, even at high tide.
Earlier, salt boats with a capacity of five thousand maunds were seen plying this river. The primary source of income for people of different professions of this area was fish, crabs, and salt from this river.
The loss of Kohelia means the destruction of the lives and livelihoods of nearly a million people in Maheshkhali. Leaders of environmental organizations demanded immediate dredging of the Kohelia River and its restoration.
