Persistent rainfall has once again led to severe waterlogging in the Bhobodaha region of Abhaynagar upazila in Jashore. Vast areas including 4 unions and a municipality are submerged. Hundreds of families are stranded in their homes, with crop fields inundated and fish enclosures swept away.
The logged areas are Prembagh, Sundoli, Chalistia, and Payra unions, as well as Noapara municipality.
According to the Department of Agricultural Extension, continuous rainfall has inundated 129 hectares of farmland in Abhaynagar. The damage includes 25 hectares of aus paddy, 45 hectares of aman paddy, 58 hectares of vegetables, and 1 hectare of chili cultivation. Additionally, 284 fish enclosures in the unions of Payra, Chalistia, Shreedharpur, Siddhipasha, and Prembagh have been washed away.
Kamruzzaman Torofdar, a fish farm owner from Kota village, said that two his fish enclosures spanning 300 bighas have been completely submerged.
“There were fish worth Tk 50 lakh in them,” he lamented undone.
Locals cries that waterlogging in Bhobodaha has turned into a recurring crisis, with no lasting solution in place.
The root cause of the crisis is the absence of an effective drainage system and in many areas, rivers and reservoirs surrounding the region are at the same elevation as the land, making natural water runoff virtually impossible.
This time, a major contributing factor is the presence of an unplanned four-vent sluice gate in Bil Kedaria, situated between Monirampur and Abhaynagar upazilas.
This sluice gate, built in 2002 under the Water Development Board’s (BWDB) Tidal River Management (TRM) project, stands on the Teka River at the junction of the Mukteshwari River, Moshiarhati Boundary Canal and Bedobhita Canal.
Although the project originally included plans for multiple sluice gates and embankments along both sides of the Mukteshwari River---from Bhobodaha to the Sutighata-Kamalpur Bridge in Jashore--- only one gate was constructed at the Teka River mouth. This gate has now become a major barrier to water flow.
Local administration sources claimed that to address the crisis, four pumps with a capacity of 35 cusecs each were installed on an emergency basis on January 22, 2023, at a cost of Tk 3.8 crore. Additionally, 14 more pumps were placed on a 21-vent sluice gate, and five electric pumps were installed on a nine-vent sluice gate on a branch of the Sri River. Despite regular pumping, residents question the effectiveness of these machines.
They claim that the pumps are failing to deliver results. The northern river has narrowed and become shallower, while the dysfunctional sluice gate is preventing water from even reaching the pumps.
BWDB Executive Engineer in Jashore, Palash Kumar Banerjee, acknowledged the long-standing nature of the problem.
“Several initiatives have been taken already,” he said adding that “and next month, under army supervision, an 81.5-kilometer river dredging project will begin with a budget of Tk 140 crore. Once completed, it is expected to significantly alleviate the waterlogging.”
When contacted by phone, Upazila Project Implementation Officer (PIO) Mushfiqur Rahman said that hundreds of families are currently affected by waterlogging. He added that the issue has been reported to higher authorities, and relief efforts will begin once approval is received.
PROMISE UNDONE
Despite pledges to act, no concrete steps have yet been taken to repair or remove the dysfunctional four-vent sluice gate—still a major bottleneck in the ongoing irrigation project. Interim government Water Resources Adviser Syeda Rizwana Hasan visited the Bhobodaha sluice gate on April 22 and again on November 10 last year, promising action, but progress remains stalled.
Abhaynagar Upazila Nirbahi Officer (UNO) Partha Pratim Shil said preparations are underway to provide relief to affected families.
He also warned that legal action would be taken against those installing illegal fishing nets, barriers, or traps in rivers, canals, and wetlands that block water flow.
He added that the BWDB has already carried out restoration work on the Amdanga Canal.
Aman/