A lifeline turns into source of suffering

Around 50,000 residents of 13 villages along the vast Badokhali Beel (swamp) in Bagerhat Sadar upazila have long been facing hardships due to waterlogging caused by broken sluice gates and illegal encroachment of the waterbody.
The beel has an area of around 7,000 acres and is surrounded by Shat Gombuj, Karapara, and Jatrapur unions, with over 20 canals flowing into it.
Local influentials have been grabbing lands along the beel and the canals for fish farming.
This has been obstructing the water’s natural flow and preventing the waterbody from providing adequate drainage.
Meanwhile, four crucial sluice gates of Bangladesh Water Development Board, constructed for regulating water levels in the swamp and connected canals, have been non-functional for a long time.
As such, the swamp and the canals fail to effectively drain excess rainwater during monsoon, leading to severe waterlogging throughout the season.
On the other hand, in the dry season, an acute shortage of water in the swamp and canals cripples agricultural activities in the area.
“Badokhali beel was once a lifeline to the people of this area, but not it has become the cause of our sufferings,” said Moniruzzaman Molla of Rajapur village, who lost his crops and fish twice this year from his four acres of cropland and enclosure due to repeated waterlogging.
Rashid Sheikh, a local farmer, said, “The sluice gates need to be repaired urgently, and the canals need excavation to solve this issue.”
Environmental activists from Khulna Poribesh Suroksha Mancha and Bagerhat Poribesh Suroksha Nagarik Committee visited the area on September 29 for inspection, said Khudrat-E-Khuda, president of Khulna Poribesh Suroksha Mancha. Abu Raihan Mohammad Al Biruni, executive engineer of BWDB in Bagerhat, said they have requested funds to repair the sluice gates. Once funding is approved, we will repair the sluice gates on a priority basis,” he added.