Century-old pond being filled up in Ctg

A portion of a century-old pond in the Farider Para area has been illegally filled in violation of existing environmental laws.

The pond, locally known as Afiar Baper Pukur, covers an area of around 52 decimals. Khorshed Ali, a student of Chittagong University and a local resident, said people have long used the pond's water for domestic purposes, and it also serves as a source of water for firefighting activities in the area.

Around three weeks ago, a portion of the pond on its southern side was filled with sand and enclosed with bamboo fencing to prevent water flow, causing the rest of the pond to dry up. The dumping of domestic waste by locals further deteriorated its condition.

A team from the Department of Environment (DoE) has already visited the site and found evidence of the illegal filling of the waterbody.

According to the DoE and locals, the filled portion of the pond belongs to two individuals -- Khorshed Alam and Tayeb. Another local, Anowar Hossain, had signed an agreement with Tayeb to purchase a portion of the pond and fill it with sand.

After confirming the allegations, the DoE's Chattogram city office issued notices to the individuals involved, asking them to appear for a hearing.

Contacted, Anowar admitted that he had dumped 5–6 truckloads of sand there. "I had made an advance agreement to purchase three decimals of land from Tayeb. He assured me of helping with filling up the portion with sand. However, after some legal complications arose, I cancelled the agreement and took back the advance money from Tayeb," he said.

Khorshed, however, denied the allegation of filling up his portion of the pond, while Tayeb could not be reached despite repeated phone calls.

According to the Environment Conservation Act and the Natural Water Reservoir Conservation Act, filling up a waterbody is a punishable offence, carrying up to five years' imprisonment, a fine of up to Tk 50,000, or both.

Saiful Islam, assistant director of the DoE's Chattogram city office, said, "We have served notices to the individuals responsible, asking them to explain their actions. Legal measures will be taken based on the outcome of the hearing scheduled for this week."