Tushar Ahmed from Solongga:

The Gardaha river locating beside the Solongga Baza’ar in Sirajganj district has reached on the verge of endangered due to continuous encroachment and pollution by an influential quarters in the area. As a result, fishes and biodiversity of the river are being destroyed day by day. But, no one of the concerned authorities even environment department and Water Development Board (WDB) is paying heeds in this regard due to unknown reasons.

Locals said, Gardaha river, which is steeped in history, has now been subjected to illegal encroachment and pollution by a class of influential people. Due to non-dredging and mismanagement of the concerned authorities, the river has almost lost its navigability.

Sources said, the competition of illegal encroachment has increased along the western bank of the river. Various types of structures are being constructed on the river bank by piling and occupying land. The water of the river is being polluted by dumping rotten wastes of households, local markets and hotels.  As a result, the water of the Gardaha river has become unusable.

Locals said that, at one time, the water of this river was used for bathing, washing clothes, cleaning dishes and all household chores. But due to the increasing level of pollution, the water of this river can no longer be used.

Hundreds of people including students of Solongga Girls School, Solongga Primary School, Islamia High School, Shaheed Academy, Mustafa Pre-Cadet School, Adarsha ​​KG School, Solongga Fazil Madrasa, Solongga Degree College, Solongga Women’s College and Hafizia Madrasa use the sluice gate road during their movements. But the road has now become unusable due to dumping of garbage and polluting by locals.

However, various establishments have been built along the Gardaha river and the entire western bank of the river including the switch gate have been illegally occupied by shops, salons and other installations.  There are allegations that many people have built buildings and semi-detached shops and houses on the west bank of the river using fake documents in collusion with local influential people and some dishonest officials of the land office.

Many locals complained that, the owners of all these buildings built on the west bank of the river are local influential and political figures. However, some house owners deny encroachment on the river. They say that, they have built buildings and houses on their ancestral or purchased lands. They also claim that, they have all the legal documents for the land.

Many elderly men of Solongga said that, once upon a time, rows of sailing boats carrying goods used to travel on the banks of the Garhdaha River. Due to mismanagement and lack of supervision by the authorities concerned, the river has now turned into a canal of waste dumping.

There is no one who does not hold a handkerchief over his mouth due to the stench of slaughtered poultry blood and market waste on the western side of the switch gate. Not only that, all the market waste is dumped on the roadside from switch gate to the central Jama Masjid, making movement not at all healthy.

Talking to the owners of these illegally built shops, it is known that many influential and political party people of Solongga have occupied the river bank, built establishments and rented them out to small shopkeepers and traders like us.

Experts said, although there is a law to free government property from encroachment, due to lack of supervision by the administration and non-implementation of the law, influential quarters are occupying the river bank.

The conscious people of Solongga have drawn the attention of the concerned authorities to dredge the Garudaha river and free the western bank of the river from illegal encroachments.

Regarding the matter, Raiganj Upazila Executive Officer Humayon Kabir said that, an eviction drive will be launched against illegal river encroachers after receiving consent of the Water Development Board and the Deputy Commissioner.

Mokhlesur Rahman, Executive Engineer of the Water Development Board (WDB) in Sirajganj told TDS that, “Necessary action would be taken against illegal encroachers after inspection.”