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Rivers dying as Ganges project remains in limbo

Pinaki Roy
Despite repeated recommendations from experts, the government has yet to take any tangible action towards realising Ganga Barrage Project.
The project was taken up and designed to harness water of the River Padma and to divert it to 24 big and small dying rivers in the south-western part of the country.
Although the foundation stone was laid and some land was also bought in 1980 to build the banage, successive governments failed to finish even the feasibility study in about the last three decades. Since then successive governments sat on the files of the project, which
according to experts could change the lives of the people of the southwestern region for the better.
If Ganga or Ganges Barrage were built, the experts said, it would increase navigability of the rivers in that region and decrease salinity in the rivers, ultimately saving the Sundarbans, a heritage of the world.
Besides, through producing hydro electricity the barrage would facilitate irrigation to almost 15,000 hectares of land in 10 districts, helping to produce extra crops worth
Tk 1.000 crore a year, said Mir Sazzad Hossain, a member of Bangladesh-India Joint Rivers Commission.
"River water up to 50 kilometres inland from the sea becomes saline during dry seasons. Ganges Barrage would increase flow of sweet water and also navigability of 24 bigand small rivers," he said.
The proposed Ganges Barrage at Pangsha-Sujanagar point under Rajbari and Pabna districts could divert water to 24 big and small rivers through the Garai, Chandana. Bhairab, Kapotaksha, Mathabhanga, Madhumati, and Nabaganga rivers.
Dr Ainun Nishat, eminent river expert and the country director of the world conservation union IUCN, said the main concept of Ganges Barrage is not based on the idea of excavating any new canal, rather using the rivers and the system of canals that exist already.
It would help to improve the current situation of the people and the environment as it would increase fish production and irrigation. and would also improve navigability of the rivers, he said.
"Appropriate use of water from Ganges Barrage would increase sweet water flow in the rivers and canals of the Sundarbans, saving a portionofit," he added.
During a recent visit to the Sundarbans. rivers and small canals were found heavily silted with no big boat being able to navigate through diem during low tides, not even through bigger rivers like the Gorai and Madhumati.
Md Mobarak Hossain, an engine boat owner from the Sundarbans. said he cannot navigate through the rivers and canals there even with his small country boat during low tides.
"The situation is the same at Jamtala, Boyar khal. Kotka, Kochikhali, and Nilkamal - almost everywhere. During low tides we cannot navigate through small canals but the situation was not like this just five years ago," said Mobarak.
Sources in Water Development Board said following the water treaty with India in 1996, Water Resources Planning Organisation (Warpo) did a preliminary study on Ganges Barrage and made recommendations to the government. Before starting construction, the government intended to do a fcasi-
bility study on engineering planning, environmental impacts and the cost.
Following Warpo recommendations in 2005, the erstwhile government took initiatives to appoint consultants for the study, and even signed a contract with a company, but the work order is yet to be awarded to the company. The government even opened an office for 'Feasibility of Ganges Barrage Project', but the whole office with its staff has been sitting idle for years, as there has been no work for
"Right now we don't have many staff. But we will need more staff once we start working." Engineer Abdul Matin Bhuiyan, the director of the project, said yesterday.
Now the people of the southwestern part of the country, which is 37 percent of the total land area and depended on the Ganges river system, are suffering severely from salinity in die rivers, as they are heavily silted. The sufferings of the people have been on since the Indian government built Farakka Barrage in 1975, reducing water flow in the Ganga river system.
Dr Azizur Rahman, a water resources expert now working with Development Design Consultants Ltd, said if Ganges Barrage is built, the increased water flow would wash out the silts from the river bed. Besides, under the project, rivers and canals would also be dredged, resulting in reduction of the inundation problem in the south-western region including die areas around Bhabadaha and Beel Dakatia.