Whimsical cutting of soil from the slops of a flood protection embankment of the Bishkhali River for making bricks at kilns are endangering the riverside area at Bamna Upazila under Barguna district.
According to local sources, for the past few months, soil is being cut from the embankment with excavators and taken to nearby brick kilns.
After visiting the area recently, it was seen that surface of the soil is being cut with an excavator from a shoal in Kholpatua area of Bamna.
Even a ghat has been constructed by installing pillars and planting trees along the Bishkhali River in the area adjacent to the kiln to facilitate transportation of goods for the brick kiln.
Abdul Latif and other residents of Kholpatua area said the embankment is under threat due to cutting of soil from the embankment.
“Now this dyke can fall apart at anytime. If it breaches, water will enter the area and damage our resources. So we demand that the administration take immediate action to stop soil cutting,” Latif told Dhaka Tribune.
Abdur Rashid, a transport driver of Najat Bricks, said that he transports soil from the river to the kiln for a wage of Tk2,000 per day. Some 40 to 45 vehicles deployed to carry the soil.
Al Amin Najat, the son of the owner of Najat Bricks, said that there was no government land here. “Locals have sold the soil to us. So the soil is cut and taken to the kiln,” he claimed.
Another brick kiln named MMB Bricks has been filling the river with sand to build a ghat for transporting bricks.
When asked, MMB Bricks Director Mustafa Fakir said bricks could not made without the soil of the river bed. “We collect soil by buying land from the locals. The soil is filled again within two years of cutting char. We do not do anything that harms the river,” he claimed.
Executive Engineer of Barguna office of the Water Development Board (WDB) Nurul Islam said it is illegal to cut the soil in the area adjacent to the flood control dykes. “Legal action will be taken against the persons involved after spot inspection.”
Bamna Upazila Nirbahi Officer Antara Halder said they would take necessary action by conducting a mobile court.
