A loss that compensation can't cover

Under the dredging project of Mongla Port, sand extracted from the Pasur River is being dumped onto surrounding arable land, which is damaging not only cultivable land but also fishery projects. Although local residents have been protesting this for several years, the government has taken no action to date. According to information received from the media on Saturday (26 July), Joymonir Ghol, the southernmost settlement at Chila union in Mongla, lies just before the Sundarbans. In the past few years, the livelihoods of hundreds of people in this region have changed due to the sand dumped from the dredging of the Pasur River.

According to the information received, to maintain navigability, the dredging project titled "Dredging at Inner Bar of Mongla Port Channel" began in March 2011. The dredged sand and saline silt are being dumped on 700 acres of agricultural land on the eastern bank of the river. So far, 376 acres of land have been acquired and filled. The acquisition process for the remaining 324 acres is ongoing. This work will continue until June 2026.

Recently, from Joymoni to Chila Bazar, mounds of sand and silt dredged from the river can be seen. Massive dikes can be found in Joymoni, Katakhali, Kolabari, Sindurtola, Telikhali, Amtola, Kolatola, and Keyabunia villages. Some of these are more than 30 feet high. Previously, local residents could pull nets in these lowlands during the monsoon and sell the fish for Tk 800–1000 per day; now, even though the price of Pona has increased, they cannot earn more than Tk 400–500 a day. That is one aspect, and the other is that the salt-mixed sand dredged from the riverbed is being washed into surrounding areas by rain. Local residents say that even one or two years before the sand dumping began, their homesteads had coconut, betel nut, jackfruit, and various fruit-bearing trees. Now, everything is dying. The reason is that the surrounding high sand mounds dissolve in rain, and the salt spreads into the adjacent land. The victims say that the sand mounds have been built so high that it will take 30–35 years for the soil to return to normal.

Environmental activists say that the Environmental Impact Assessment (EIA) stated a maximum average height of 6 to 10 feet of sand above ground level. But here the sand height exceeds 20–30 feet. Environmentalists advise that this sand could be dumped into the sea using hopper dredgers, or it could be sold elsewhere or exported abroad.

But instead of doing that, arable land is being destroyed, and people’s livelihoods are being ruined. In nearly all work in Bangladesh, there appears to be no proper coordination. In trying to do good on one hand, harm is caused on the other. There is no doubt that this is happening due to the government’s lack of a long-term proper plan. Even before this project began, local farmers and residents protested against it. The project authorities did not pay heed to them at the time. They are now saying that compensation is being provided. But local residents report that the compensation is minimal compared to the damage. And even if farmers, fishermen, and local residents can be silenced with compensation or force, who will compensate for the enormous damage being done to the country?