Illegal sand lifting from rivers threatens bridge
Defying the ban on sand lifting from near any bridge, the contractors continue to draw sand from the Kirtonkhola River with the help of 8-10 dredgers, threatening the newly built Serniabat Bridge.Photo: STAR
Unscrupulous people have continued illegal excavation and sand lifting from Kirtonkhola and adjoining Sugandha River for over a month, threatening newly opened Shaheed Abdur Rob Serniabat Bridge over the Kirtankhola River. The callous act is also affecting navigability near Barisal river port and weakening river protection embankments in the area, in addition to causing harm to environment and ecology. Dredger firms Al Zerin and Rubaiya received permission from Barisal district administration for collecting sand from certain points of Kirtankhola and Sugandha rivers through paying Tk 15 and Tk 12 lakh respectively. "The lease was given for collecting sand and the arrangement was made under revenue collection procedure through leasing jal mahal (water body) as per selection and design by the surveyors of the land revenue department," said Palash Kanti Bala, the concerned additional deputy commissioner of Barisal. However, during a visit to the area a few days ago, it was found that the two firms, in violation of the terms and conditions of the lease, engaged about one dozen dredgers under sub contracts at different points outside the leased areas. The sand lifters took lease from the district administration but did not take permission from the Directorate of Environment (DoE), Bangladesh Inland Water Transport Authority (BIWTA) and Water Development Board (WDB) for sand lifting, sources said. In gross violation of the lease contract that specifically mentions places and design for the purpose, dredgers named Satota, Suborna, Raihan, AL-Amin, Swapan, Tanvir, Sattar, Bhulu, Zikrun and Amua are engaged in collecting sands from different areas near Barisal port and Dapdapia Bridge areas. Journalists found that Satota and Suborna were engaged in collecting sand adjacent to the pillars of Dapdapia Bridge round the clock. Luthfar Rahman and Aminur Rahman, owners of Al Zerin and Rubaiya, claimed that their dredging would not affect the bridge and embankment. They further said that they do not know about the requirement of getting permission from the BIWTA, the WDB and the DoE. Barisal Sadar Upazila Nirbahi Officer Raza Mia told the journalists that after receiving allegations from the local people they have issued a letter asking the people concerned not to collect sand from the areas adjacent to the bridge. A firm must take permission from the DoE for sand collection from rivers as important matters like ecological balance, aqua life, and riverbank protection are involved in it, said an environment official. BIWTA Deputy Director Wakil Newaz, also Barisal port officer, said permission from the officials of the ministry concerned is mandatory for private dredging or sand collection from any river route as it affects the water course and navigability of the port areas, bio-diversity, and ecological balance. "We will send letter to the ministry informing about the illegal lease and dredging," he said. Muhammad Nazrul Islam, superintending engineer of WDB, admitted that sand extraction from the riverbed is gradually weakening the foundation of the embankment and making the region vulnerable to floods and erosion. The ongoing sand lifting, done within 500 metres of the bridge, will endanger the structure, said Shamsul Arefin, engineer, and Ranjit Kumar Bhoumik, consultant of Dapdapia Bridge.
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