By Motaher Hossain

Bangladesh is a riverine country, a fact I learned during my childhood years from textbooks. However, over time, this information is gradually fading. Rivers are dying, shrinking, and drying up, with new sandbars forming in their beds. Markets, roads, and transportation routes are being built on these sandbars. In the Bay of Bengal, new chars (sandbars) have emerged near Sandwip and around Noakhali's Hatiya, some of which are as large as an entire country. Due to river management practices, such as large bridges, culverts, and roads being constructed over the rivers, their size is shrinking, and the rivers are dying.

Annual dredging attempts to restore rivers are becoming increasingly limited. Sometimes, even when dredging is done, the excavated soil is left on the riverbanks, and during rain, floods, or high tides, this soil washes back into the rivers. By not allowing rivers to function as they should, nature takes revenge in the form of natural disasters, including floods, storms, tidal surges, heavy rainfall, droughts, desertification, and excessive salinity in coastal areas. As a result, food production, fish farming, biodiversity, and the environment are all threatened.

Currently, Bangladesh has 1,008 rivers. Among them, 14 rivers are over 200 kilometers long, 42 rivers are between 100 to 199 kilometers, 480 rivers are between 10 to 99 kilometers, and 376 rivers are between 1 to 9 kilometers. There are also 41 rivers shorter than 1 kilometer. The district with the most rivers is Sunamganj, which has 97 rivers. However, river experts claim that the actual number of rivers in Bangladesh is less than reported, possibly under a thousand.

It's not just rivers that are facing this crisis. Ponds, haors (large wetlands), baors (oxbow lakes), canals, and open water bodies are also disappearing. There was a time when every village had ponds for bathing, canals for fish farming, and large wetlands filled with water lilies. But today, these scenes are vanishing. The reduction of ponds, canals, and other water bodies is a serious threat to the environment.

According to the Fisheries Department, there were about 2,000 ponds in Dhaka in 1985, but now there are only about 100. In the last 35 years, the number of water bodies has decreased by 34.45%. If this is the situation in the capital, one can only imagine the condition of water bodies across the country and the extent of their decline. Despite the government passing a law in 2000 to protect water bodies, it has yet to be effectively implemented.

In rural areas, ponds, canals, and ponds are rapidly disappearing. In the past, several houses in a row would have a pond or canal where people would perform daily tasks. People would bathe in ponds, use canal water for livestock, and most importantly, these water bodies would store rainwater, which could later be used for irrigation during the dry season. But today, with the shrinking of water bodies, people rely heavily on tube wells, leading to a decrease in the water table.

The reduction of water bodies has resulted in several problems. First, the water table is falling because people now depend on tube wells for their daily water needs, leading to a decrease in groundwater levels. Second, in the past, small ponds and canals would collect household waste, which, after decomposing, would be used as organic fertilizer for crops. But with fewer water bodies, it is becoming increasingly difficult to keep the environment clean, and waste management is becoming a challenge. Third, during heavy rainfall and floods, water cannot drain properly due to the lack of adequate water bodies, causing waterlogging and making life difficult in both rural and urban areas. Fourth, the habitat of aquatic life is being destroyed, leading to a decline in fish populations and a reduction in fish production.

There are several reasons behind the shrinking of water bodies. One major reason is the increasing demand for housing. As the population grows, the demand for new settlements increases, and to fulfill this demand, canals, ponds, and wetlands are being filled in. Another important reason is land grabbing by local powerful people for personal, business, or infrastructure purposes. These individuals, driven by personal interests, are filling up water bodies without considering the environmental impact. Ordinary people lack the power to stop them, and they continue to build buildings, markets, and factories on these water bodies. Unplanned urbanization also contributes to the reduction of ponds and canals, as cities expand with increasing populations, industries, and infrastructure.

Today, Bangladesh's natural environment, climate, weather, and ecosystem are not functioning normally. Therefore, we must take action to protect water bodies. First, the 2000 law protecting water bodies must be strictly implemented. This law prohibits the filling or encroachment of natural water bodies without government approval. It also calls for legal action against those who violate the law. We must stop land grabbing and work together as a society to protest against activities that threaten the existence of water bodies. We must clean up urban water bodies, expand their scope, and raise awareness in rural areas about the importance of water bodies. People must be made aware of the harmful effects of filling ponds, canals, and wetlands. We need to create awareness about water body conservation for disaster prevention and natural resource management.

In conclusion, we must stop the destructive process of reducing the number of ponds, canals, and wetlands in Bangladesh. Only a collective effort by the state, government, citizens, and environmental activists can preserve the legacy of these water bodies in our country. Otherwise, our natural environment will face a severe crisis.

Bangladesh has 4.347 million hectares of wetlands, but due to flood control embankments, drainage, and irrigation structures, 21 million hectares of the Ganges and Brahmaputra floodplains have been lost. In the haor areas, as people build houses, roads, markets, factories, and other infrastructure, the area of haors is shrinking. Many wetlands, including those in the Chalanbil, have also faced significant losses. In the early 19th century, the Chalanbil covered 1,085 square kilometers, but by 1909, it was reduced to 368 square kilometers. Today, the Chalanbil covers only 85 square kilometers, and during the dry season, it shrinks further. This process of wetland loss is a clear example of the damage being done to our environment.

To ensure a sustainable future for our coming generations, we must take immediate action to restore and protect our rivers, ponds, canals, and wetlands. This will not only preserve the environment but also secure a better future for the people of Bangladesh.

The writer is a, Journalist, General Secretary - Bangladesh Climate Journalist Forum.