Patuakhali agri-land on the verge of collapse

Influential farmers are cutting soil with excavators to build dams to protect watermelon fields.

This has caused erosion on the river banks. Cultivable land is decreasing. Agriculture in the coastal region is facing a threat.

Soil is being cut indiscriminately from the banks of the Tentulia River in Bauphal upazila of Patuakhali district triggering disruption of watermelon cultivation.

Locals allege that soil is being cut on the river banks with excavators in at least 20 chars.

It has been learned that preparations are underway for watermelon cultivation in various chars including Baufal Char Federation, Char Shaula, Duba Char, Agla Char, Char Moazzem, Char Barrett, Raisaheb, Diyarakchua, Char Nimdi, Char Mominpur, Mathbaria Char and Char Basudeb Pasha.

There are plans to cultivate watermelons on about 34,000 hectares of land in these areas. Of this, preparations have been made for cultivating early varieties of watermelons on 12 hectares of land, according to the Upazila Agriculture Office.

Work is underway to build embankments along the river banks to protect the fields from tidal water. And soil is being cut from the river banks to build these embankments.

At least 5 boatmen who regularly operate boats and trawlers on the Tentulia River said that in the last few years, the part of the river where the river banks have been cut and dammed for watermelon fields has witnessed terrible erosion.

The river bank has broken and a lot of arable land has gone into the river. Influential people are directly and indirectly involved in this watermelon cultivation.

On the ground, it can be seen that farmers are using a digger machine to cut and build embankments on the river banks in the Chandradwip and Char Kalaiya Char Federations of the Tentulia River, Char Kalaiya and Char Baila areas.

A farmer named Prince is preparing about 40 acres of land on the eastern side of the Char Federation. He is renting a digger machine from Chittagong and building embankments on the river banks.

Upazila Assistant Commissioner of Land Syed Mahmud Bulbul said, many farmers have applied to cut soil and build dams for fields. We will take action after verifying the land and saving it.

Upazila Nirbahi Officer Saleh Ahmed said, farmers have been discouraged from cutting the riverbank and building dams for fields.

If anyone does it, necessary action will be taken. In this regard, Prince said that he has leased land from a local person named Omar Munshi.

After investigation, it was learned that Omar Munshi leased the land from the landowners at a low price for one year and leased it to watermelon farmers at a higher price.

MA Bashar, director of the environmental organisation ‘Save the Bee-Raws’, said that farmers cultivate watermelon on a large amount of land in the river’s char areas every year.

According to the Bangladesh Water Act-2013 and the Balumahal and Soil Management Act, cutting soil from the riverbed and banks is completely illegal and a serious threat to the environment.

This deepens the riverbed, increases the speed of water flow, and increases erosion on the banks.

Upazila Agriculture Officer Md. Milon said, watermelon is a cash crop. Due to unplanned cutting of soil from the riverbank, the stability of the riverbank is being damaged.

If cutting of soil continues in this way, not only will the arable land disappear into the riverbed, but the livelihood of people dependent on agriculture may be at risk. In this, short-term efforts to protect crops may cause damage to agriculture in the long term.