M R Sajib, Sunamganj

Navigability in the Rongarachhara River—the only means of transportation for the Bagli customs station in the border area of Tahirpur upazila—has deteriorated severely. As a result, thousands of boat workers from several nearby upazilas have lost their livelihood and are living in inhuman conditions. Since there is no alternative road communication to the Bagli customs station, water transport is the only lifeline for traders. During the monsoon season, sand, stones, and coal can be transported with difficulty, but in the dry season, workers become completely unemployed for about six months, forcing them and their families into extreme hardship.

Local workers and traders report that the 7–8 km stretch of the river between Bagli Rongarachhara and the Patnai River has long been filled with silt. This causes severe congestion during the dry season. Stone- and coal-laden boats remain stuck for weeks, causing massive losses for traders. They complain that although boat congestion in the Patnai River has persisted for nearly one and a half decades, the authorities have taken no effective measures. They say that if the river is dredged in a planned manner, government revenue will increase, workers will have year-round employment, and the congestion will be permanently resolved.

Abdul Alim, a boat workers’ leader from Borochhara area, said that the riverbed of the Rongarachhara River is completely silted up. Deep dredging would allow the government to earn billions of taka in revenue every year and ensure year-round work for laborers.

Bagli customs station traders—Dr. Abdus Subhan, Dr. Aminul Haque, Haji Abdul Alim, and others—said that although the demand for dredging has been raised multiple times, it has been ignored. While the government earns crores of taka in revenue through the customs station, no effective steps have been taken to dredge the river. Muhammad Kamal Hossain, president of the Bagli customs station, said that the only solution to the navigation crisis in the Patlai River is dredging the Rongarachhara–Patlai river route. “We have submitted proposals several times to include the dredging under capital dredging projects. We urge the government to take prompt action.”

Regarding the matter, Tahirpur Upazila Assistant Commissioner (Land) Md. Shahrukh Alam Shantanu said that dredging work from Rongarachhara to the Patlai River will be initiated soon.

Executive Engineer of Sunamganj Water Development Board, Md. Mamun Howlader, said that the responsibility of this dredging work lies with the BIWTA, but the WDB will provide necessary assistance.