No one hears Sangu’s cry

Sanjoy Kumar Barua

Anyone who sees the present condition of the Sangu River feels the sound of its cry in the heart. It seems that Sangu, lying on his deathbed, is crying out for his lost glory. But no one is listening.

If Sangu dies, the local community will be the ultimate sufferers.

Once vibrant river Sangu, had been slowly weathering, leading to navigability crisis and a severe water crisis.

Experts say, water levels of Sangu goes down following deforestation, hill cutting and unabated stone extraction while silt accumulation has caused navigability issues and the loss of various species of fishes.

As the streams and the Sangu River drying up fast, the communities of the area are already facing severe water crisis.

The picturesque banks of the Sangu river are also fast fading amidst the ever-growing numbers of makeshift and permanent structures built by river grabbers.

The structures are mainly concentrated in Bandarban sadar area through which the 173-kilometre Sangu traverses after entering Bangladesh through Thanchi upazila and before flowing into the Bay of Bengal near the Karnaphuli river.

Locals said around 1,500 illegal structures were established in Sawmill, Ujani Para, Barisal Para, Madhyam Para, Bazar Ghat, Boat Ghata, Mohammadpur, and Islampur, all on the foreshores of the Sangu river.

Most owners of the concrete structures claimed that they own the land or that it has been leased out to them by the Bandarban Hill District Council (BHDC).

Additional Deputy Commissioner (revenue) Mohammad Saiful Islam, said “A couple of months earlier we cleared one or two illegal establishments from the bank of Sangu River following the list of the National River Conservation Commission.”

In the list of encroachment on the bank of Sangu River, a total of 285 grabbers name were mentioned, he said.

When asked whether the names of many influential people who have encroached Sangu River have been omitted from the list of the River Conservation Commission, he said, “I don’t know about this.”

Locals urge it is high time the authorities, including local administrations and responsible agencies to undertake serious efforts to save   Sangu from sedimentation, pollution and encroachment.