Dadatana is the heart of Jessore city. Here, there is the Dadatana Bridge over the Bhairab River. Standing on the bridge and looking ahead, one can see a narrow canal filled with reeds flowing down. Two more bridges are within sight. Numerous structures have been built on floodplains on both sides of the bridge. The waste from these structures falls into the stream and the lifeless Bhairab River. The water of the river is black and foul-smelling.
When the Hindu god Shiva takes on the form of Rudra, he is called Bhairav. However, Bhairav no longer has a Rudra form. Due to encroachment, pollution and unplanned bridges, the dying Bhairav is somehow flowing.
The rivers flowing through Jessore are Kapotaksha, Bhairab, Harihar, Kodla, Ichamati, Hakar, Betna or Betravati or Betravati, Mukteshwari, Kajla, Chitra, Sri, Teka, Hari, Bhadra and Atai. The rivers are now in danger of survival due to terrible encroachment, pollution and unplanned bridges.
Various initiatives, including excavations, have been taken at various times to save these dying rivers. But they have not been of much use, on the contrary, due to lack of coordination in planning, numerous small and large bridges have been built over the rivers. More bridges are being built. The unplanned length of these bridges has narrowed the rivers.
There is no initiative to evict illegal establishments.
Due to encroachment, some rivers have been filled up and lost their navigability. In addition, rivers are being widely polluted. Pollution is destroying river water and river-dependent biodiversity. Some rivers are dying due to encroachment and pollution. On July 30, 2020, the National River Protection Commission published a partial list of illegal encroachers of rivers in Jessore district on its website. The list included the names of 673 encroachers in the district. In 2022, the list of establishments was removed from the organization’s website. No effective initiative has been taken to evict illegal establishments according to the list to protect the river.
The list of the National River Protection Commission includes party offices, private health care centers (clinics), markets, ponds, various business establishments, BGB camps and houses built by encroaching on Bhairab in Jessore Sadar Upazila. There are more than 50 influential encroachers, including at least 20 multi-storey buildings, on both banks of the 800-meter stretch of Bhairab River from Daratana Bridge, the heart of Jessore city, to the wooden bridge. These structures have been built on the floodplain of the river. The district administration and the Water Development Board (PAUBO) have not demarcated this part of the river and have not prepared a list of illegal occupants. However, excluding that part of the river, a list of illegal occupants was prepared and 84 structures in the western part and 59 illegal structures in the 3.5 km of the eastern part were identified. Later, these structures were demolished. These illegal structures were demolished under the Water Act. Medical waste from these structures built on the banks of the river and human waste from the toilets of the buildings are being dumped directly into the Bhairab River through pipelines. This has turned the river water black and muddy. The water is also foul-smelling.
Various initiatives, including excavations, have been taken at various times to save these dying rivers. But they have not been of much use, on the contrary, due to lack of coordination in planning, numerous small and large bridges have been built over the rivers. More bridges are being built. The unplanned length of these bridges has narrowed the rivers.
In Bagharpara Upazila, the Chitra River has been encroached upon and a party office, a Liberation War memorial, a pond, various businesses and houses have been built. A partial list mentions that there are 41 illegal occupants on this river. However, the full list of illegal occupants of the river, which was later sent to the Deputy Commissioner’s office, mentions the names of 126 occupants.
In the partial list, 162 people have occupied the Harihar, Mukteshwari, Sri and Hari rivers in Monirampur upazila; 30 people have occupied both sides of the Kapotaksha river in Jhikargachha upazila and built various structures including multi-storey buildings; 80 people have occupied the Kapotaksha river in Chaugachha upazila and 224 people have occupied the Betna river and Hakr river in Sharsha upazila. And 49 people are named in the list of occupying the Bhairab river in Abhaynagar upazila.
According to the Bangladesh Inland Water Transport Authority (BIWTA), there were 85 illegal structures on the banks of the Bhairab River in Abhaynagar Upazila of Jessore. Of these, 50 illegal structures were demolished in two phases in May 2024, at the initiative of the Jessore district administration and with the cooperation of BIWTA. It was decided to demolish the remaining 36 structures in phases. But since then, the demolition drive has practically stopped. As the demolition drive has been suspended, the construction of illegal structures encroaching on the river is increasing. Pollution is not stopping. Untreated chemical waste from two tanneries and various factories is polluting the water of the Bhairab River.
Bhairab did not flow back after excavation
Bhairab originates in the Jalangi, a branch of the Padma, in Murti village of Nadia district, West Bengal, India. Then Bhairab enters Bangladesh through the Meherpur border. Bhairab flows through Darshana in Chuadanga district, Courtchandpur in Jhenaidah district, Taherpur, Afra and Abhaynagar in Jessore district, and Fultala, Dighlia and Daulatpur in Khulna district before merging with the Rupsha River in Khulna city. The total length of Bhairab from the source of Taherpur Kapotaxha in Chaugachha to the confluence of the Rupsha-Bhairab in Khulna is 133 kilometers. Of this, 41 kilometers of Bhairab flows from the confluence of the Rupsha-Bhairab to Basundia in Jessore. And 21 kilometers of Kshindhara flows from Basundia to Rupdia in Sadar upazila. From there, 71 kilometers to the source of the Kapotaksh in Taherpur of Chaugachha Upazila are without flow. At a cost of Tk 279.12 crore, 92 kilometers of the river have been re-dredged from Taherpur in Chaugachha Upazila of Jessore to Basundia in Sadar Upazila. In addition, four kilometers of the river have been dredged from Basundia to Afra Ghat, but the flow of the Bhairab has not returned.
Excavation underway at Kapotaksha
In 2011, Paubo undertook a river dredging project to revive Kapotax. The ‘Kapotakx River Waterlogging Relief Project (Phase I)’ was completed in 2017 at a cost of Tk 286 crore. Although not much was achieved then.
Paubo started dredging in the second phase in 2020. It is costing Tk 531 crore. The cost of the two projects stands at Tk 817 crore. The work on the new project is scheduled to be completed on June 30. So far, 69 kilometers out of 79 kilometers have been dredged.
The Teka River has dried up. The river’s space has been occupied. Last Wednesday, in the Chomardanga area of Abhaynagar Upazila of JessorePhoto: Prothom Alo
Unplanned bridges on rivers
According to a report by the Bangladesh Inland Water Transport Authority (BIWTA), 21 small and large bridges have been built on the Kapotaksha River so far. Of these, only 20 are low in height. That is, these bridges were not built with a height suitable for navigation. Only one bridge was built at a sufficient height. However, the river was narrowed by building a connecting road to it.
There are 52 unplanned bridges built on the Bhairab River. The length of the bridges is between 16.4 and 120 feet. The length of one bridge is 177.112 feet. However, the width of the river is 150 to 250 feet. The bridges were built by filling both banks of the river with soil. Due to irregularities in excavation and the reconstruction of these bridges by raising them in accordance with the standards of the Bangladesh Inland Water Transport Authority (BIWTA), the flow in that part of the Bhairab did not return.
Recently, the construction of 14 low-height bridges has been started on Bhairab, Chitra, Harihar, Mukteshwari, Teka and Kapotaksa. Out of these, 12 old bridges have been demolished and new bridges have been started in their place. In addition, two new bridges have been started on the Mukteshwari River. The construction of four bridges on the Bhairab River and one on the Teka River has been stopped by a High Court order. The construction of a bridge on the Kapotaksa River that is lower than the specified height has been stopped due to objections. However, the construction of a bridge on the Harihar River is underway. All the bridges are low in height.
What the protesters are saying
Iqbal Kabir Zahid, advisor to the Bhairab River Reform Movement Committee, said, “The main river flow of the southwest region is Bhairab. Bhairab was killed during the British period. After that, the encroachment on both banks of the river only increased. Corruption has been added to the encroachment. Along with this, the river is being polluted. He further said, “The government has made a river bank law to protect the river. The government does not implement that river bank law. The government’s irresponsibility in protecting the river’s resources has given an opportunity to the encroachments of the river.”
Anil Biswas, convener of the Save the Kopotaksh Movement in Jessore, said, “Although the Kopotaksh river has been dug deep on both sides, the middle is not being dug properly. The soil from the river excavation is being dumped into the river. The way the river is being dug will not yield any benefits from the project. No one thought about the movement of boats during the construction of unplanned bridges. These bridges have accelerated the process of filling the Kopotaksh.”
Despite excavation, the flow of the Hari River has not returned. In the Kapalia area of Monirampur upazila of Jessore on WednesdayPhoto: Prothom Alo
Officials’ comments
Palash Kumar Banerjee, Executive Engineer of PAUBO Jessore Office, said that the excavation work of 69 kilometers out of 8.8 kilometers of Bhadra River, 14.2 kilometers of Hari River and 79 kilometers of Kapotaksa River has been completed. Excavation work of 250 kilometers of Bhairab is underway. In addition, excavation work of 21 kilometers of Bhadra River, 20 kilometers of Hari River, 50 kilometers of Chitra River and 35 kilometers of Harihar River will be started. Once the excavation work is completed, the rivers will come back to life.
Palash Kumar Banerjee further said that due to the narrow bridge over the Bhairab River, it is not possible to establish navigation and smooth flow of tides. Letters have been sent to the concerned departments to take effective measures to quickly expand the narrow bridges. But no initiative has been taken in this regard from the departments.
Jessore Deputy Commissioner Azaharul Islam told Prothom Alo that evicting illegal encroachers of rivers is an ongoing process. The work of marking the boundaries of rivers will be started. After marking the boundaries, illegal encroachers will be evicted. Illegal encroachers of the Upper Bhadra River will be evicted quickly. Illegal encroachers of other rivers will be evicted in phases. Measures are being taken to stop pollution of rivers.
Source: Prothom Alo
