Bangladesh loses 32,000 acres along borders
After getting instructions from the higher authorities, the water
resources ministry has asked the Water Development Board (WDB) to
protect 18 rivers along the bordering areas with India and Myanmar
from this month, in order to stop river erosion, said sources in the
water resources ministry. Bangladesh lost at least 32,000 acres owing
to river erosion along its borders with India and Myanmar in the last
40 years, they added.
Water resources minister Ramesh Chandra Sen told The Independent that
he has ordered the authorities concerned to start work to protect the
18 riverbanks on an emergency basis.
"We've not enough money to complete the work. But, we've to arrange
funds to protect the river banks," he said."We're hopeful that the
authorities concerned will successfully implement the protection work
within the next year," he added.
The director general of Water Development Board, KM Shahiduzzaman,
told this correspondent that he was ordered by the water resources
minister to protect the 18 rivers within this month.
"There are only Tk. 50 crore allocated in the current fiscal for the
purpose. But, we need at least Tk. 105 crore for completion of the
work. We've asked the contractor concerned for starting the work as
soon as possible, and we will pay the bills after arranging funds from
the next fiscal year," he said.
Sources said that the rivers Ichamati, Nagor, Atrai, Brahmaputra,
Feni, Kahuya and Panuachara are eroding their banks on the Bangladeshi
side, while new riverbeds are emerging on the other side. This problem
will recurr if the riverbanks remain unprotected against erosion, they
added.
But, the Indian and the Myanmar authorities are protecting their river
banks through river protection works.Fast erosion and changing of
courses of rivers have been changing the country's topographical
contour. For common rivers, the middle of a river is treated as the
border for two countries.
Sources said that erosion of river often creates riverbeds inside the
Indian and Myanmar territories. They added that such topographical
changes create disputes regarding the border area.
Sources also said the Indian border security force and Myanmar have
objected to Bangladesh's initiatives to protect its
riverbanks.Bangladesh has 57 common rivers with India and Myanmar. Of
these, 54 are shared with India, while the rest are shared with
Myanmar.
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