A local Awami League leader has been accused of illegally lifting sand and soil from a Jamuna river bank in Bhandarbari union of Bogra’s Dhunot upazila.
The exploited area falls under a government riverbank conservation project where lifting of sand and soil can increase the adverse effects of erosion, warn Bangladesh Water Development Board (WDB) experts.
The 1200 metre riverbank conservation project was undertaken in Bhootbari and Bhandarbari villages in 2017 and was estimated to cost Tk4 crore, say sources at the WDB.
Shahidul Islam, organizing secretary of Bhandarbari unit Awami League has been illegally lifting sand and soil near the Bhandarbari High School since last week, locals say.
Locals said each truckload of soil and sand are being sold at Tk400 and Tk800 respectively. A number of locals have expressed their resentment due to the lack of action from authorities concerned.
"Influential people are taking advantage of the char areas that surfaced on the river during the dry season. Now the effects of sand and soil lifting may not be visible, but it will turn severe in monsoon. The flood protection dam may also collapse as a result," said local Azizur Rahman. Mokbul Hossain, Ismail Hossain, and a few others also expressed similar sentiments.
Confirming that legal authorization was not acquired for the sand and soil removal, the accused Awami League leader Shohidul Islam said the sand and soil will be used to fill land needed for a local Eidgah field.
Bogra WDB Assistant Engineer Asadul Haque said: "The riverbank conservation project will suffer if soil is lifted from chars of the Jamuna River. So we prohibited soil lifting from the project area. But legal action will be taken if a violation of such prohibition had taken place there."
Dhunot Upazila Nirbahi Officer Razia Sultana also said necessary action will be taken after an investigation into the matter.
