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Sand lifting puts villages along Jamuna under threat

No step taken to protect two villages near Bangabandhu Bridge

Mirza Shakti,
Residents of Gorilabari and Beltia villages in Kalihati upazila of Tangail are passing days amid fear that river erosion may hit the area in upcoming rainy season as sand lifting continues near the Bangabandhu Bridge on the Jamuna river.
The villages under Gohaliabari union are about 1.5 kilometres south to the eastern side of the bridge.
Around 4,000 people live in more than 500 homesteads in the two villages, according to Gohaliabari Union Parishad.
In August last year, recession of the water level in the Jamuna resulted in erosion that damaged a 200-metre embankment. Some 50 houses in Gorilabari village went under water then.
Bangladesh Bridge Authority constructed the river bank protection embankment at the confluence of the Jamuna and the New Dhaleswari in 2003 to protect its land and nearby localities.
According to villagers, the disaster occurred due to continuous sand lifting by unscrupulous traders. The authorities dumped geo-bags but
failed to prevent the erosion that left at least 20 families homeless.
Although law prohibits sand lifting within six-kilometre radius of a bridge, a syndicate of influential traders having political connections continued lifting sand near the bridge with powerful dredgers, the villagers said.
When this correspondent visited Gorilabari village last week, the villagers expressed grave concern that during the upcoming monsoon, they might once again face river erosion.
If the erosion hits, a school and a madrasa situated on the bank of the Jamuna will also go under water, they said, urging the authorities to take steps against illegal sand lifting.
They strongly demanded immediate construction of an embankment for the protection of the village.
"We have been living in fear because no steps have been taken since the calamity last year," said Rahima Khatun, 45, a resident of the village.
Sand lifters carry out the illegal activities at night. Lax monitoring by the authorities encouraged them to do so, alleged the villagers.
They said they dared not protest because the
traders have strong political connections.
Despite being notified of the demands and concerns of the villagers, the authorities said they might not go for construction of a new embankment before the start of monsoon.
Ahsanul Kabir Pavel, assistant engineer and in-charge at Bangabandhu Bridge site office in Tangail, said, "On several occasions, sand lifters were detained and handed over to police."
*"I’ender has been floated for construction of a 460-metre embankment. But the construction will start after monsoon is over," he said adding, "We have enough geobags in stock to protect the villagers in case erosion occurs."
Md Alamgir, sub-divisional engineer at Bangladesh Water Development Board in Tangail, said the Board has already prepared the design of the embankment but the work will start next season.
"Tire authorities should start dumping geo bags immediately because monsoon is knocking at the door and erosion might hit the villages anytime," Nazrul Islam Talukder, a member of Gohaliabari Union Parishad, said.