Two of Bandarban’s once vibrant rivers are slowly withering, leading to navigability crisis and acute shortage of drinking water.
The Sangu and Matamuhuri rivers, once home to many species of fishes, are now dotted with shoals of various size and shape. The drying water bodies are bad news for Bandarban’s population, more than 80% of whom are dependent on the rivers for water.
Locals once navigated the waterways to visit remote parts of the district. Many popular tourist destinations are still only accessible by boat. But sedimentation has curbed water traffic.
Fisherman Bindu Bala said he had been living off the rivers for about four decades. “Silt accumulation has caused navigability issues and the loss of various species of fishes,” he said.
Bandarban Soil and Water Conservation Centre’s acting Chief Scientific Officer Md Mahbubul Islam said: “Water levels have gone down due to deforestation, the levelling of hills, unabated stone extraction and shifting cultivation.”
“Loss of navigability means less water in Sangu and Matamuhuri, which in turn, is affecting agricultural production in the district,” said Altaf Hossain, deputy director of Bandarban Agricultural Extension Directorate.
The rivers have never been dredged, locals claimed.
Bandarban Department of Public Health Engineering Chief Engineer Sohrab Hossain said the water level in the rivers had declined as the streams and brooks were dying. “We have been thinking of taking swift action in this regard,” he said without elaborating.