Once known as a ‘town of ponds’, Brahmanbaria now hardly retained only one-fourth of its 200 natural water bodies.

Filling up of the natural water bodies started, especially after Brahmanbaria was upgraded into a district in 1984, for construction of residential buildings, markets, bus-truck terminals, and other commercial establishments but the environmental issues were grossly ignored, said environment activists.

“Targeting a pond, the syndicate men dump garbage in it and at one stage the water body loses its utility. Then they start filling it up with sand or mud in the dead of night. The practice has been going on in this town for the last 35 years,” said Nasir Mia, a lawyer of Brahmanbaria Bar.

Once famous Ram Thakur Asram Pukur, a large pond in the town’s East Paikpara area, is now a part of history as a big market was constructed after filling it.

Scores of age-old ponds of different sizes have disappeared from the town due to unplanned urbanization and lack of monitoring by the authorities concerned.

Currently, an influential quarter is filling up of a pond in Court Road, a posh area of the town, defying the notices served by the Department of Environment and the district administration. 

A month ago, a group of influential people led by Ali Ahsan Kawser, a councillor of ward No 5 under Brahmanbaria Municipality, filled up a pond in Modhyapara Border Bazar area. Afterwards, a mobile court fined its owner Tk 2 lakh and ordered him to remove the earth and sand from there, which was carried out within a couple of days. 

According to the statistics of the district’s fisheries department, there were more than two hundred ponds in 22 mouzas of Brahmanbaria when it was a sub-divisional town but only 47 of the water bodies in the municipal area have survived till date.

Md Runaet Amin Reza, research officer of Brahmanbaria Department of Environment, said they filed 13 cases against pond filling and fined a number of pond owners in last eight years.

“Yet, pond filling can’t be resisted as ruling party men at different times have supported the callous act to gain financial benefit.

“When we go to save a pond from fillers, they give threat to us. We work amid limitations like lack of magistracy power, vehicles and armed security personnel. Due to lengthy official process, it takes one week to 15 days to make a notice reach an illegal occupier. By the time, the offenders can get their work done,” he said.

If the trend goes on, the town’s map will be without any pond in future, he said in tone of regret.

The town sees increase in waterlogging due to filling up of the water bodies, said Ashraful Imam Rana, convener of ‘Committee for Protection of Town Ponds’.

Tanharul Islam, deputy assistant director of Brahmanbaria Fire Service, said, previously firefighters used water from adjacent ponds to douse fire but now they face problem to collect water during fire incidents.

Contacted, Brahmanbaria Deputy Commissioner Hayat-Ud-Dowllah Khan said, “The Department of Environment files cases when receive any information about pond filling. We also conduct mobile courts to thwart pond filling.”

He also urged common people to come forward in this regard.