Md. Mafiz Uddin Sarker, Rangpur

The water has dried up across the chest of the full Chaitra month and turned into dry sand in the droughty Teesta River in the northern Rangpur region.

Sand dunes are raised over a wide area of its basin. Fishermen are changing their profession due to the hunger of fish in the river. Biodiversity of this region is under threat.

When the monsoon comes, the people of two clans on the banks of the Teesta are faced with floods and destruction. The river breaks and the strong current sweeps away the dreams of the people of the Teesta bank, the cropland, houses and buildings. And now in the dry season the Teesta River has dried up and turned into a desert. People and cattle are crossing the river by wading through the water.

There are no boats on the banks of the river, the calls of sailors and fishermen are busy with fishing. The life and livelihood of the people of Teesta Par in Rangpur region has stopped on the sands of despair. River experts say that if the depth of the river is increased by damming on both sides by deepening the riverbed in the implementation of the Teesta master plan, the Teesta will regain its familiar form.

It is known that after flowing through India's Sikkim and West Bengal, Teesta River has crossed the border of Dimla Upazila of Nilphamari District of Bangladesh and entered Bangladesh. After that, Teesta flows through Nilphamari, Lalmonirhat, Rangpur and Gaibandha districts and merges with Brahmaputra River at Chilmari port in Kurigram district. The length of the Teesta River is about 315 km, but the Bangladesh part is about 125 km.

Neighboring country India has been controlling the water of the river unilaterally by building a dam in Ghazal Doba upstream. As a result, life and biodiversity in the 125-km Teesta basin, which flows through Nilphamari, Lalmonirhat, Rangpur, Gaibandha and Kurigram districts of Bangladesh, have been destroyed due to lack of water.

A vast area has fallen downstream of the Teesta Barrage, one of the largest irrigation projects in the country. As a result, the barrage, Teesta railway bridge, road bridge and Gangachara Sheikh Hasina Teesta Road bridge look as if they are standing in dust and dirt.

Fishermen on the banks of the river said that there was a time when a lot of fish was caught in the Teesta. They made a living by selling that fish. At that time, around the fish of the Teesta River, a dry net was built in the Teesta Port of Lalmonirhat Sadar Upazila. From where the delicious chutki of Teesta River went all over the country. Now there is no fish in the river.

Therefore, due to the lack of dry land, the port of Teesta is not as busy as before. All that is there is dried fruit brought from other parts of the country. There is a shortage of fish in Teesta without water. Many fishermen have changed careers. The families of those who are there are starving and half-starved.

Fisherman Jeetendra Nath of Pangatari village of Gokunda Union of Lalmonirhat Sadar Upazila on the left bank of Teesta River said that earlier the family used to live happily by catching and selling fish in this river. I used to make dried fish and sell it throughout the year. Now you can't even get your own food fish. He spends the day without eating any kind of fish in the hole nearby.

Meanwhile, due to the drying up of the Teesta River, even if there is a little water in the monsoon, both banks overflow and flood. Due to lack of water in the river, the range of the river has been changed several times during the rainy season.

The Lalmonirhat office of the Water Development Board said that the water level record has been changed three times in the last 5 years. At present, the maximum recorded depth at Teesta Dalia Point is 52.60 cm.

It is known that 19,000 cusecs of water is required at the Teesta barrage point to maintain the flow level of the river. About 14,000 cusecs of flow is required to run irrigation projects alone. And five thousand cusecs of water is needed to save the existence of the river.

But in the dry season, the required water is not available in the Teesta. On the other hand, in monsoons, an average of 70,000 to 1,10,000 cusecs of water comes. Due to this water flowing over the two banks of the river through the Lalmonirhat section, the normal course is changed and floods and erosion occur.

To supply water from Dalia barrage point to Nilphamari, Rangpur, Dinajpur, Bogra and other areas covered by main irrigation canals, another 2,800 cusecs of water is required for cultivation.

A maximum of 2,200 cusecs of water is available in these canals during the full irrigation season. Sources of the Directorate of Agricultural Extension said that various crops including vegetables are grown on 8,500 hectares of land centered on Char in Lalmonirhat.

Among them, the amount of corn is the highest. But due to unplanned construction of roads, market ghats and long-term projects of various companies, the river is losing its natural form.

Sources of Water Development Board said that currently 2 thousand cusecs of reserve water are being taken from Teesta River and supplied to irrigation canals. Farmers spend only 200 to 300 takas per bigha land for Teesta Canal irrigation. To keep the river navigable, 2 of the 44 gates have been kept open by 6 inches. All other gates are closed during dry season.

River experts feel that the implementation of the Teesta Master Plan and science-based projects can save the river and the people on both sides of the river. Then the river will become the life line of this region.

Additional director of Rangpur Region Agriculture Extension Directorate, agriculturist Obaidur Rahman Mandal said that various types of crops worth Tk 50,000 crore are being produced annually in Char area of Rangpur division.

These crops are being exported to Sri Lanka, Japan, Singapore, Middle East and other countries of the world. In addition to strengthening the agricultural economy of these regions, the socio-economic development of the farmers is also being improved.