DHAKA, Oct 30, 2024(BSS) - The government is in all-out action to withdraw the stagnant water from Bhabodah and its adjoining areas of Jashore and Khulna districts, officials said.

Chief Engineer of the Water Development Board (WDB) in Khulna Bidyut Kumar Saha said a total of 17 irrigation pumps are lifting water from the submerged Bhabodah area round the clock and delivering it to the downstream rivers.

Of them, a number of four pumps with removing capacity of 35 cusec water and eight pumps with removing capacity of five cusec water have been set up at Bhabodah 21 vents regulator and another five pumps with the capacity of five cusec were installed at nine vents (hole) area.

Monirampur Palli Bidyut Samity ensured uninterrupted electric supply to the pumps for its smooth functioning, the chief engineer said.

Two floating dredging machines are extracting alluvium soil from 4.32 kilometers area of the Teka-Hori river for smooth recession of pumped water, he said.

Besides, another two dredging machines are removing alluvium soil from 3.84 kilometer area of Upper Bhadra and another one from 1.00 kilometer area of Buri Bhadra in the Keshabpur Upazila, Bidyut Saha added.

Executive Engineer of the WDB, Jashore Polash Kumar Benarji told BSS that the government has taken immediate steps to re-excavate and widen the Amdanga Khal (cannel) at Avaynagar upazila to pass the stagnant water from the northern part of Bhabodah to Bhairob River.

A high-powered technical team led by Md Mahfuzur Rahman, Chief Engineer (Design) of the WDB has visited the area of Amdanga Khal on October 19 to see the current situation of the cannel, he said.

The existing water level of Bhabodah could reduce by two meters if the Amdanga Khal is re-excavated properly and thus most of the stagnant water around the dwelling houses and educational institutions would be moved off, he said.

Eng Iqbal Kabir Mollah, President of Manirampur Samity in Dhaka said that 40 percent accumulated water of Bhabodah area will recede if this cannel is re-excavated removing all of its obstructions and barriers.

Abdul Motaleb Sardar, former principal of Bhabodah Degree College and one of the leading personalities of the area, said the stagnant water could be withdrawn from the Bhabodah if the pump system functions properly. 

Before that, dredging in the down and upstream of the Teka, Hori, Bhadra and Buri Bhadra rivers must be ensured, he said.

Over nine lakh people from 500 villages of five upazilas in Jashore and Khulna districts have been marooned and 75000 hectors of farmland, thousands of dwelling houses and educational institutions remained submerged due to inoperativeness of Bhabodah sluice gates and siltation of river beds and cannels.