Don’t sacrifice haors for development
We are alarmed to learn of the impact the ongoing road construction project through the Sanghai Haor in Sunamganj is having on the surrounding cropland and paddy harvest. According to a recent report by Prothom Alo, under a special project of the disaster management and relief ministry, a four-kilometre road is being constructed through the haor by digging up soil from surrounding paddy fields. In doing so, saplings of Boro paddy—the harvest of which is due in Baishakh (April-May)—are being destroyed. This is not only harming the haor and its ecosystem, but also affecting the people whose livelihoods depend on this wetland.
According to the report, this project was of special interest to former Planning Minister MA Mannan, whose home village is supposed to be connected by this road. When the works began last year, farmers protested the destruction of their cropland. After that, Mannan apparently instructed the project contractor to provide financial compensation to the affected farmers. However, not only have the farmers not received any compensation to date, but they have not even been informed about the extent of losses they are set to suffer.
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Meanwhile, even though Mannan and his party are no longer in the picture, others with vested interests have taken over to support the project, with soil being excavated from arable land at present. Farmers are naturally frustrated by this state of affairs. One of them said he had already lost one-fourth of the cropland he owned in the area. Another lamented that his livelihood is at risk because the road is being constructed on the cropland. What's more, such infrastructure will obstruct the natural water flow of the haor, which may lead to large-scale flooding during the monsoon season.
We fail to comprehend how the authorities, despite such harmful impacts of the project, are still allowing the construction work to continue, especially when farmers and environmentalists have been vocal about its risks. At the least, they should suspend the construction work immediately and reassess the entire project plan. In the changed reality of this new Bangladesh, acting responsibly to protect the delicate ecosystem of a haor and the people who depend on it for their livelihoods should not be difficult. We urge the relevant government offices, especially the Sunamganj district administration, to look into the matter and stop all activities that are harmful to the haor and its people.
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