Teesta, the second biggest river in Gaibandha, is drying up quickly and the drastic fall in its water level is impacting on agriculture, communication systems, employment and ecology in the region.
Officials of Bangladesh Water Development Board said the water level started falling sharply in September and now most of the river has dried up at an alarming rate, leading to a number of chars forming on the riverbed.
“At present, one can cross the river by foot easily, which was unthinkable only a few years back,” said Abul Kashem, a resident of Horipur union under Sundarganj upazila.
People living by the riverbanks attribute the present situation to the unilateral construction by India of a barrage at Gazoldoba over the Teesta, around 100km upstream of the Teesta Barrage Irrigation project (TBIP) at Dalia of Lalmonirhat district.
Movement of water vessels has been suspended in all the routes of the river causing immense trouble to char dwellers wanting to reach the mainland.
Over 20,000 people living in the unions Tarapur, Horipur, Belka, Chandpur, and Kapasia under Sundarganj Upazila, are being compelled to walk through miles of sandy char to reach the mainland to pursue their livelihoods.
“More than 200 boatmen of 30 boat routes connecting four upazilas under Kurigram and Gaibandha districts have become jobless,” said M Mazharul Islam, chairman of Horipur union.
A number of anglers on the basins have also become unemployed, said Horikanta Kanta Das, an angler of Belka Union. Seeing no other way, many of the anglers had to take up other professions, he added.
“Vast tracts of land are lying uncultivated for the lack of flow in the river,” said Satyen Sen, upazila agriculture officer.
Thousands of people living in the char and the riverbank of the upazila have become jobless, as they have no work due to drying up of the river, said Waheduzzaman Sarker Badsha, chairman of the upazila.
The jobless were now moving to Dhaka, Chittagong and other parts of the country in search of work, some even taking loans on high interest from the local moneylenders, he added.
The char dwellers have urged the government to take up necessary measures to resume the navigability and water flow in the river and continue it all the year round by rolling on the water sharing treaty with India as early as possible.
