Polluted water is being discharged into the Brahmaputra, threatening the river environment
There have been allegations of unplanned dredging of the old Brahmaputra, which runs through Mymensingh city. A few days ago, it was seen that the protest of youths who came down to the river by writing the banner ‘Scream of the Dead’.
There is also a movement called ‘Brahmaputra Suraksha Andolan’ since long ago. They have been demanding seven points for river protection.
The Bangladesh Inland Water Transport Authority (BIWTA) is dredging the river. But it didn’t help much. This river is affected by numerous illegal constructions by government and private institutions.
Teesta watershed forms the border of Chilmari in Kurigram and Sundarganj upazila of Gaibandha and joins the Brahmaputra.
The Brahmaputra then changed course with a massive amount of water. A small river called Jonai in Dewanganj of Jamalpur forms a deep channel and flows that way.
Then, its name was Jamuna. The Brahmaputra that flows through Mymensingh remains a flowing river despite losing its youth. Jamalpur flows through Mymensingh and joins the Meghna River at Bhairab in Kishoreganj.
Abul Kalam Al Azad, coordinator of the Brahmaputra Protection Movement, said, “Now various infrastructures have been developed at the crowded intersection of Dewanganj.
We have been demanding to evict them and establish the old connection with Jamuna. If this can be done, the Brahmaputra of Mymensingh will be restored to life.”
“Last May, I went to Trishal in Mymensingh and saw the Brahmaputra in Shilpacharya Zainul Abedin’s collection,” he informed.
“I also went there about six years ago for a program organized by the Brahmaputra Protection Movement. The condition of the river was still bad. But it wasn’t so bad,” he added.
Abul Kalam Al Azad continued, saying, “At the place where separate the Brahmaputra from the Jamuna in Dewanganj Upazila, should establish the river connection.
And should maintain the river flow from Dewanganj to the confluence with the Meghna. If these initiatives are not taken now, then this river will become a curse instead of a blessing for Mymensingh.”
The local administration is stopping sand extraction for a few days. Another elderly person says, “The water that was there ten years ago is not there now. The river is
Hafiz Ali, a man on the banks of the river, gave another reason for the river filling up. He says that erosion has increased in many places due to illegal sand extraction. As a result, the erosion soil is falling into the river, and the river is being filled.
At Kacharighat in the city, it can see a paved road entering the river. Now, illegal occupation of the river is in progress beside Mymensingh city by constructing illegal buildings and religious infrastructures. According to the documents, these structures need to be vacated.
Mymensingh alone has 2,500 encroachers on the National River Protection Commission list. Most of them are occupied by the Brahmaputra.
Mymensingh city is on the banks of the Brahmaputra River. All the polluted water in the city is being dumped into the Brahmaputra. Water shortage has occurred in the river dug by BIWTA at a cost of Tk 2,765 crore. Many say that the river is being dredged in an unplanned manner. Due to this, dehydration has occurred, and char has risen.
Mymensingh has become a divisional city. City Corporation has been. Population is increasing here. Many industries are coming up around Brahmaputra. It is essential to demolish all the illegal structures in the Brahmaputra to protect it.
It should make the river connection that separates the Brahmaputra from the Jamuna in Dewanganj Upazila. And should maintain the river flow from Dewanganj to the confluence with the Meghna. If these initiatives are not taken now, this river will become a curse instead of a blessing for Mymensingh.
Implementing what is being heard will not be suitable to reduce the river’s width and build the road. In the long term, people from all walks of life should unite in protecting the Brahmaputra, considering the biodiversity, climate, and waterways, as well as the people of Mymensingh.
