Vanishing rivers of Patgram

Abdus Salam, 55, was sifting stones from a dredger machine on Dharla riverbank in Kawamari area of Lalmonirhat's Patgram upazila.

The midday calm was being shattered by the grinding roar of numerous dredger machines scattered across the riverbank, with long iron pipes sucking up stone and sand from the riverbed, leaving craters in their wake, while dust clouds swirl over the surface of the river.

Piles of sediment rise along the banks, as evidence of the relentlessly destructive operation.

"I was once a farmer. I lost all six bighas of my land to river erosion. There's nowhere else to go. But I have to feed my family. So, I'm forced into this. What else can I do?" Salam asked. His voice ached with bitterness.

"It was the local political leaders who started the extraction. We protested. No one listened. Now we do it ourselves. There's nowhere else to go. The riverbed is our last resort," he also said.

Patgram is crisscrossed by three rivers -- the 31.5-kilometre-long Dharla, the 21-km Singimari, and the 4-km Saniajan -- all flowing in from India.

The rivers were once lifelines of the region for farming, irrigation, fisheries and water-based transport. Now they are left on verge of oblivion having suffered years of rampant, illegal stone extraction.

Reminiscing old days, locals describe the rivers as more than waterways.

These rivers are their past and future -- sources of food, identity, and community. Yet, while a handful profit from plundering them, entire villages are left to grieve and survive amid ecological collapse.

Bangkanda's Nazir Ali, 78, recalled a time when boats used to glide across the river. "Now it's all sandbars. We get some water during the monsoon. The rest of the time, it's dead."

Nazrul Islam, 78, a freedom fighter from Rasulganj, "My 10 bighas of farmland beside the Dharla, as well as our family graveyard, are all lost to river erosion exacerbated by the rampant stone extraction."

Shamsher Ali, 65, a farmer from Bangkanda, said those who protested were rather harassed by the administration. "Now I can't even bear to look at the river," he added.

"It's like a festival sometimes -- 400 to 500 dredgers working day and night," said Mahtab Ali, 70, another farmer from Rasulganj. "These rivers are dead. The only solution is proper dredging, not looting."

MINING PITS OR DEATH TRAPS?

Day-labourer Surat Ali, 60, from Kawamari village, traced back to how the predicament unfolded since around 1991. "We used to collect stones with nets. Then politically influential people brought in dredgers to extract stones on a large scale. That was the beginning of the end," he said.

Over the years, the riverbeds became curved into deep pits that eventually turned into death traps, with at least 20 people -- including seven students, eight children, and five farmers or labourers -- drowned over the past two decades, accord

On July 25 last year, Miskat Hossain, 12, drowned in one such mining pit. His father, Nurul Islam Nuru of Bangkanda village, never recovered from the loss.

"The pain of losing my son engulfs me every single day. We protested repeatedly. Nobody cared," he lamented.

Iftekhar Ahmed, president of Patgram Press Club, said, "We've reported on these deaths, but the administration neither kept records not took any measure. The illegal stone extraction just continues." 

THE SYNDICATE

For decades, local politicians and their associates have been engaged in stone extraction, forming syndicates by exploiting their influence.

According to insiders, syndicate members colluded with local authorities by paying the officials around 10 percent of their daily earnings from stone extraction operations.

On average, about 4,000 cubic feet of stones are lifted daily using dredgers, with each cft selling for Tk 60-70 at the extraction site, thereby producing a daily turnover of at least Tk 2.4 lakh. Of this, roughly Tk 24,000 is allegedly pocketed by local officials, , according to political insiders and syndicate sources.

However, not all 400-500 dredgers in operation are paying the cut. In some areas, influential political leaders reportedly shield their favoured groups, allowing them to bypass such payments.

"Earlier, leaders from the then ruling Awami League controlled the business. Now, local BNP leaders have taken over," said a local source involved with the syndicate, requesting anonymity.

Rashedul Islam, general secretary of Patgram upazila Jubo League unit and former municipality mayor, was allegedly overseeing the syndicate's operations at one stage, the source claimed.

Rashedul could not be reached for comment, as his phone was found switched off.

Asked about BNP's alleged involvement, Shafikar Rahman, president of Patgram upazila BNP unit, refuted the allegation.

"None of our leaders are involved in this syndicate. In fact, we have consistently urged the administration to take action against illegal stone lifting during law-and-order committee meetings. But the administration ignored our concerns and instead shifted the blame onto political leaders while continuing to receive a share of the profits from syndicate members," he claimed.

WHAT OFFICIALS SAY

Officials concerned of the government institutions admitted that the crisis is severe.

"The three rivers in Patgram are on the verge of death due to relentless, illegal stone lifting," said Shunil Kumar, executive engineer of Bangladesh Water Development Board in Lalmonirhat.

"A team from the environment ministry visited the rivers recently and saw the crisis firsthand. We expect restoration steps to follow," he added.

Patgram Upazila Nirbahi Officer Jillur Rahman said, "Stone lifting is officially banned. We act on every report and send out mobile courts. We've destroyed over 100 dredgers and fined many, even faced attacks. Still, some operations continue at night in remote areas."

The UNO also denied involvement of any local administration officials in the illegal trade. "Instead, we are vigilant and taking strict action against these syndicates," he said.

HM Rakib Hayder, deputy commissioner of Lalmonirhat, said, "We've marked a four-km stretch of the Dharla for dredging. The survey is complete. Work will begin soon."

"No matter how powerful the syndicates are, we'll take firm action," he added.

LAWS, CONCERNS IGNORED

In Bangladesh, stone extraction without a license is a criminal offense as per the Mines and Minerals (Development and Regulation) Act, 1992.

The Water Act, 2013, also criminalises unapproved interference with waterbodies, while The River Protection Commission Act, 2013, bans unauthorised damage, pollution, and occupation of riverbeds.

Despite the legal framework, enforcement has remained sporadic and inconsistent, resulting in a slow collapse of rivers, livelihoods, and lives.

Between January to April this year, the local administration has filed six cases and arrested two over illegal stone mining.

The situation, however, hardly changed, as these actions appear to have little effect in preventing the mining.  

"They still extract at night," said Moslem Uddin, 65, of Bangkanda.

"Sometimes it goes on all day -- with loud music and scenes like parties. These greedy men have ruined the rivers. The damage is evident -- in farming, nature, and even the climate."

Shafiqul Islam, president of Lalmonirhat River Rokkha Songram Parishad, echoed him.

"If urgent, sustained action is not taken, the rivers of Patgram may soon be beyond saving," he said.