Wednesday
30 April, 2025
News Flash
News Flash
JASHORE, April 30, 2025(BSS) - The visit of three advisers heralded new aspirations in the 10 lakhs people of Bhabodah area as they extended their assurance of solving the long standing water logging problem.
The advisers apprise of the interim government's determination to solve the Bhabodah problem, making the local people hopeful as they thinks their water logging issue will eventually come to an end.
Water Resources, Environment and Climate Change Adviser Syeda Rizwana Hasan, Agriculture and Home Adviser Lt Gen (Retd.) Md. Jahangir Alam Chowdhury and Disaster Management Relief adviser Faruk E Azam, Bir Protik visited Bhabodah area on April 22 last.
During the visit, they talked to the local people as well as government and non-government stakeholders and assured of a sustainable and permanent solution to the problem.
The Water Development Board (WDB) in early sixties had constructed three sluice gates with 33 vents in Teka and Hori rivers in Bhabodah area to protect nearly half lakh hectors of crop land from saline water intrusion at Manirampur, Keshabpur and Avaynagar Upazilas of the district.
The people of the area got full benefit of the sluice gates for nearly 25 years as they could cultivate on their agriculture lands resisting intrusion of saline water and produced huge varieties of crops.
In the mid-eighties, water logging started in the upstream of the Bhabodah sluice gates as the river beds in the up and down stream were silted and the problem was continued with a gap of eight to 10 years despite government initiatives to solve the problem. The situation became worsen last year when over 10 lakhs people of 200 villages of the three upazilas went under water due to water logging.
Being informed through different government and non-government sources, Water Resources Adviser Syeda Rizwana Hasan took multi-dimensional steps to remove the stagnant water from the area and personally visited the area twice. Finally, she took a coordinated effort with different concerned ministries for immediate and permanent solution to the problem.
Alok Biswas, a resident of Sundali under Avaynagar upazila told BSS that they became hopeful witnessing the seriousness of the interim government and schemes to solve the problem.
"Only few months back, my family, along with several thousands of people was under water but now we are living on dry land due to government steps," he said.
The government has already started re-digging and widening of Amdanga Khal, dragging the up and down stream of Bhabodah and removing stagnant water by heavy pumps for irrigation.
Chaitannya Kumar Paul, an assistant professor of Mukteshwari Degree College at Manirampur upazila said the stagnant water engulfed over 25,000 hectors of farm land last year but the farmers could cultivate Boro paddy on 16,557 hectors of land this year due to timely steps by water resource adviser.
Iqbal Kabir Zahid, Chief Adviser of the Sangram Committee told BSS that the visit of three advisers along with senior civil and military officials definitely is a positive gesture of the interim government to solve the problem.
The water resources adviser has assured that the river and cannel digging project would be implemented in the area under the direct supervision of Bangladesh Army and the tender for digging and widening of Amdanga Khal has already been completed manifesting government's commitment, he said.
A scientific survey for immediate launching of the 'Tidal River Management' (TRM) is progressing fast which is also a positive indication, he added.
Chancal Ray, a lecturer and a resident of worst water logged Mashiahati area, said the local people have became hopeful for the solution of the Bhabodah after the visit of three advisers.
He demanded the government to increase the number of high capacity irrigation pumps to pump out the rest stagnant water from the upstream of Bhabodah and immediate dragging of the rivers in its up and down stream to save the area from possible water logging in coming rainy season.
