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Haribhadra River excavation fails to ease siltation in Khulna
Thousands of habitants alongside the Haribhadra River in Dumuria upazila of Khula are facing severe water-logging fears despite the completion of a major government river excavation project.
Post-excavation mismanagement and installation of a cross-dam have led to this unforeseen situation. Almost five kilometer of the riverbed has filled up and neutralized the benefit of the canal project as well.
Local residents of the surrounding area submitted a mass-signed petition to Dumuria Upazila Nirbahi Officer (UNO) Sabita Sarkar as they fear monsoon flooding. Residents demanded immediate removal of the accumulated slit on the riverbed.
According to local sources, the river was excavated to enhance regional drainage, resolve long-standing waterlogging, and support local agriculture. However, shortly after excavation ended, a cross-dam was constructed near Kharnia. The dam trapped incoming upstream silt, quickly choking the river channel.
The blocked natural flow has already led to localized waterlogging after mild rainfall. Residents warn that unless the silt is cleared, vast swathes of land across Kharnia, Rudaghara, Dhamalia, Atlia, and Shobhna unions in Dumuria, along with parts of neighbouring Keshabpur and Manirampur upazilas, will be submerged this rainy season.
‘After the river was excavated, a cross-dam was built near Kharnia, filling the riverbed with silt on the other side,’ said local Union Parishad member Molla Abul Kashem. ‘Recently, when heavy rain pushed water into residential areas, the dam was cut. But the water still cannot drain due to the silt.’
Kashem noted that the Water Development Board has deployed only one dredger machine to clear the five-kilometer stretch. ‘One machine is completely inadequate for a crisis of this scale. We urgently need more dredgers on site,’ he added.
Acknowledging the crisis, UNO Sabita Sarkar confirmed receipt of the mass petition and assured locals that action is underway.
‘The fear of waterlogging caused by the cross-dam and subsequent siltation is being treated with utmost seriousness,’ Sarkar said. ‘I have already informed higher authorities and the Water Development Board. Necessary measures will be taken swiftly to prevent flooding in Kharnia and surrounding areas.’
Water Development Board Executive Engineer Ujjal Kumar Sen stated that official intervention has begun. ‘Silt removal is currently ongoing using one dredger machine. To accelerate the work and resolve the obstruction quickly, we are actively considering deploying additional dredgers to restore normal water flow soon.’
Locals maintain that the Haribhadra River serves as the agricultural lifeline for the region. They argue that rural families should not suffer the consequences of faulty project planning, warning that thousands of households risk losing their crops and homes if the administration fails to act before the monsoon heightens.
-SMH/SA
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Editor : Iqbal Sobhan Chowdhury
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Published by the Editor on behalf of the Observer Ltd. from Globe Printers, 24/A, New Eskaton Road, Ramna, Dhaka.
Editorial, News and Commercial Offices : Aziz Bhaban (2nd floor), 93, Motijheel C/A, Dhaka-1000.
Phone: PABX- 41053001-06; Advertisement: 41053012; 01793317829, 01550707291, E-mail: [email protected], [email protected] Online: email: [email protected] 41053014; 01550707297 Advertisement: 01550707296
