The scars on the Someshwari River in Durgapur, Netrakona are slowly healing. Local residents say that the river is regaining its lost course as sand mining has stopped. They hope that if sand mining stops, the Someshwari, which flows down the slopes of the Garo Hills, will once again become the ‘artery of the hill towns’.
Recently, it has been seen on the ground that the riverbed, where dredgers, sand-stone filters on bamboo platforms and piles of sand were kept, is no longer there. In the past three days, after visiting several places on the river, including Bhawanipur, Chaitatighat, Shmashanghat, Shibganjghat, Birishiri, Kerankhola, Gaokandia, it was seen that in some places there was only water, in some places water was chest or waist-deep, and in some places knee-deep or less. Although there was no water in some places, there were no scars like before. Looking at the river, it seemed that the wound had healed and was moving towards healing.
The river was destroyed by a politically influential group in the name of sand and stone trade. The river has regained its life due to a court ban. The big challenge now is to save the river from the hands of sand and stone pirates.
Syeda Rizwana Hassan, Advisor, Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change
Former UN official MA Jinnah lives in the Naljora area next to the river. He said, “For two decades, sand miners have been wreaking havoc on the riverbed by installing hundreds of dredgers on lease. They are destroying the river by unplanned sand extraction and looting. Now that sand extraction is no longer taking place, it seems that the river is returning to normal. This is a hopeful development.”
Reminiscing, MA Jinnah said, “This river had clear water and a lot of current all year round. Big boats used to ply. There was a lot of fish. When I was studying at Dhaka University, I would often come home with my friends by the river. We would catch a lot of fish, including bigeye, in the river with them. How the river has been killed in 20-25 years!”
Illegal sand mining is destroying the environment and biodiversity of the Someshwari River. In October 2023, sand was mined in the Durgapur area of Netrakona.Photo: Prothom Alo
Sand looting by leasing at a low price
It has been learned from talking to the district administration, the Water Development Board (Paubo) and local residents that for more than two decades, the district administration has announced and leased five sand palaces covering about 2,000 acres in different parts of the river. The people in power have repeatedly taken leases at a low price and illegally installed hundreds of ‘Bangla dredgers’ to plunder sand. Thousands of trucks of sand, gravel and coal are dug up from the river every day. As this continues year after year, the river is being killed.
It has been found that unplanned sand mining has blocked the mouth of the Someshwari tributary, Atrakhali. Hundreds of houses, roads, bridges, and various government and private institutions in the area are under threat. The Shyamganj-Birishiri road, built at a cost of 316 crore taka, was the most affected. An average of 25 people lose their lives every year due to sand truck accidents on that road. The loud noise of the dredgers day and night causes hearing problems for many people. Many species of fish and aquatic animals, including the rare Mahashol, in the river have become extinct. Fishermen change their professions when they cannot catch fish. Tourists lose interest.
Someswari has come back to life after sand mining stopped. It was taken on February 24 in the Vijaypur area of Netrakona.Photo: Prothom Alo
The latest report on this in Prothom Alo was published on October 21, 2023, under the title ‘Someshwari River is being looted’. Then, on January 28, 2024, when the district administration invited tenders for the lease of sand in the river for 1431 Bangabhad, the Bangladesh Environmental Lawyers Association (BELA) filed a supplementary application on February 12, seeking a suspension of the lease activities. Later, on February 15, the High Court suspended all tender-related activities. Since then, the lease activities of the sand have been suspended. However, local sources have reported that recently an influential group in the area has been taking action to approve sand mining again.
Netrokona Water Development Board Executive Engineer Md. Sarwar Jahan told Prothom Alo that the natural course of the river has been lost due to unplanned sand extraction with dredgers for a long time. Since the dredger has not been installed for a year, it is somewhat returning to normal. However, silt has accumulated and filled up in some places. A survey is being conducted to solve these problems. A consulting firm has already been appointed. Action will be taken in light of the recommendations once the final report is received.
The administration is in a tough position.
Rahmat Ali, who has been operating a ferry boat in the Bhabanipur BGB camp area for almost a decade, said, “The Ibar River has become very muddy because the lease has not been granted. The river will gradually improve. If the lease is granted, the Bengali dredger will be used to remove sand, creating piles of sand and holes. I cannot operate it.” However, he said, many people secretly lift some sand at night and transport it in lorries.
However, Deputy Commissioner Banani Biswas said that sand mining in the Someshwari River has been stopped by the court’s order. Many people occasionally mine sand without the administration’s knowledge. Then mobile courts are set up and jail and fines are imposed. The administration is taking a strict stand on this issue.
The mountain river Someshwari, which flows through the mountains, had lost its familiar appearance due to sand mining. Photographed in October 2023 in the Durgapur area of NetrakonaPhoto: Prothom Alo
On Monday (February 24), it was seen that 350 meters of the river, which is about 400 meters wide, was covered in sand. And in the middle 50 meters, knee-deep water was flowing. There, three women and two men were digging holes in the sand to collect coal from the water. When asked, one of them, Theufil Rema (56), said, “This time, it seems that there is a little water in the river during the dry season compared to other years. Our roads have become narrow because we do not have sand. Earlier, we used to be tired of sand dredgers and trucks. I think the river will gradually get better.” Nazrul Islam, a trawler from Khiura village, also believes that if indiscriminate sand mining is stopped and dredging is done, the river will eventually run at its own speed. Then boats will be able to sail easily.
Syeda Rizwana Hasan, advisor to the Ministry of Environment, Forests and Climate Change of the interim government, told Prothom Alo that the Someshwari River is a tourist attraction. A politically influential group had destroyed the river in the name of sand and stone trade. The river has regained its life due to a court ban. The big challenge now is to save the river from the hands of sand and stone pirates.
Source: Prothom Alo
