New Bhabadaha plan in place, but its future hinges on tidal river management
After years of chronic waterlogging, the Bhabadaha region in Jashore sees fresh hope with a new government plan promising large-scale dredging. But for the locals, lasting relief depends on larger issues, such as the upper stream solution
Sukumar Sarkar, an elderly resident of Dohor Mushihati village in Abhaynagar, moved slowly and timidly across a narrow bamboo footbridge — locally called a 'shako' — to reach the road. The structure is simple: a single bamboo laid flat with another tied across for hand support. A moment's carelessness could mean slipping into the water — something Sukumar simply cannot risk.
A heart patient who recently suffered a stroke, Sukumar can barely move around. And now, surrounded by water — his home, land, and possessions submerged for five years — his life has come to a standstill.
"All my lands have been under water for years. We don't get any rice," he said, breaking down in tears. "My son tries to get by working as a day labourer, but there's barely any work — everything's just water now," he lamented.
Sukumar, like many others in the Bhabadaha area, remembers better times — when the water came and went with the tides. By the time Boro season arrived later in the year, the land would be dry enough for cultivation.
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But that changed ever since the 21-vent sluice gate regulator in Monirampur was shut. A vast stretch of farmland has since remained perpetually waterlogged, leaving farmers like Sukumar helpless.
In his neighbourhood, Purnima Mondol said the situation is so dire that women have to tie their babies to their bodies to prevent them from falling into water inside the house.
"We have to defecate in makeshift toilets built on trees," she said.
Yet Purnima felt a slight sense of relief this year — the water around her home and on the streets receded more quickly than previous years.
Why?
Because 12 of the 21 sluice gates were finally opened this year. Locals say they had long been demanding this since the gates were shut — some reportedly since 2012.
Officials at the Jashore Water Development Board said the ageing condition of the sluice infrastructure poses a risk of permanent damage, making them hesitant to operate it. Locals, however, accuse the authorities of prolonging the crisis for vested interests.
The Bhabadaha issue has garnered renewed attention in recent months, with new projects underway.
After years of suffering, unmet promises, and broken commitments, the government has recently initiated steps towards resolving the Bhabadaha crisis. Among the measures, dredging rivers and canals to facilitate water drainage from the beels are notable.
Palash Kumar Benarjee, Executive Engineer (Civil) of the Bangladesh Water Development Board, Jashore, confirmed that the army has already started surveying for dredging operations.
"The river hasn't been dredged in years. The adviser has said this year the army will carry out dredging — 81.5 kilometres — at an estimated cost of Tk 140 crore, to be completed by next June," Palash said.
"Once completed, there will be no more waterlogging," he added.
However, activists who have long been campaigning for a sustainable solution warn that without implementing Tidal River Management (TRM), the current plan risks failure.
Tidal river management lets high tide bring sediment into a beel. As the tide recedes, the water drops its silt load there, gradually raising the beel's base. Meanwhile, surrounding rivers deepen and regain flow. Even if you dredge up to Shibsha, silt will return in months without TRM
To put it in plain words, Tidal River Management (TRM) is a cost-effective method often employed for managing water-logging and improving land in low-lying coastal areas. To achieve this, natural tidal flows are often used to deposit sediment. The process involves temporarily re-connecting a floodplain, simply called a 'beel', with a tidal river by cutting embankments. It is important to continue this process along with regular dredging works.
"TRM and dredging must go hand in hand. Without TRM, all the money and energy spent on dredging will be wasted — the river will silt up again within three months," said Shekhar Chandra Biswas, a campaigner involved with the Bhabadaha Water Drainage Movement Committee (Bhabadaha Pani Nishkashon Sangram Committee).
While welcoming the dredging plan and canal clearance, the committee has presented eight key demands, key among them being the immediate implementation of TRM.
A manmade crisis in the making
The waterlogging crisis in Bhabadaha traces its roots back to the 1960s, when the Coastal Embankment Project — designed under the Krug Mission — constructed a network of polders and sluice gates, including the 21-belt and 9-belt systems, to shield farmland from tidal flooding.
While initially effective, these embankments disrupted natural drainage channels, causing rainwater and silt to accumulate within the protected areas.
Over time, riverbeds rose, farmlands subsided, and vast stretches of land were transformed into stagnant wetlands.
Despite repeated government interventions — such as water pumping, canal excavation, and tidal river management (TRM) — persistent siltation and poor planning have left the crisis unresolved for decades, keeping thousands of families chronically waterlogged.
Local activists estimate that over 50 beels lie within the Bhabadaha region, spanning approximately 75,000 hectares across Jashore's Abhaynagar, Monirampur, and Keshabpur upazilas, and Dumuria in Khulna.
"The crisis has two major sides," explained Kanai Biswas, a local college teacher and activist of the Sangram Committee. "First, continuous sedimentation has raised the riverbeds so much that in many areas, the beels now sit higher than the river mouths. Second, the upstream rivers that once fed this system have either dried up or become functionally dead."
Chaitanya Kumar Paul, another activist, noted that the Bhabadaha water system relies on a river network beginning at the Padma. Water flows into the Mathabhanga at Bheramara, connects to the Bhairab, then the Mukteshwari, before draining through tidal rivers into the Sundarbans.
This natural chain once ensured seasonal water flow and sediment flushing. But reduced upstream flow, heavy siltation, and blocked canals have choked the system.
"TRM is our primary demand, but it's not the permanent solution. The permanent solution lies in reconnecting the upstream rivers — the Bhairab, Mathabhanga, and Padma. Once those rivers are linked again, their flow will naturally carry away the sediment," said Iqbal Kabir Zahid, chief adviser of the Bhabadaha Pani Nishkashon Sangram Committee.
With the Mathabhanga and Bhairab rivers losing navigability, and sluice gates and beels disconnected, the entire network is in jeopardy.
Water stagnates, land remains submerged, fish enclosures proliferate, and agriculture collapses — crippling the local ecosystem, economy, and the daily lives of thousands.
Songs of sorrow of the Bhabadaha farmers
Of Bhabadaha's 75,000 hectares, around 35,000 hectares face waterlogging, according to the water board's statistics. The remaining areas experience flooding during heavy rainfall, but the water usually recedes.
Of the waterlogged 35,000 hectares, 12,000–15,000 remain submerged year-round and are used for fish farming. The remaining 20,000 (approx) hectares support Boro cultivation in winter or fish farming. Last year's Boro coverage fell to 18,000 hectares due to heavy rain.
"Boro cultivation will rebound, even exceed 20,000 hectares this year, as 12 of the 21 gates of the Belt Regulator have been opened. This early intervention enabled faster drainage of water from the beel," Palash added.
However, Sangram Committee activists dismissed the water board's statistics, arguing that the waterlogged area in Bhabadaha is larger than reported.
"The water board's estimates of cultivated land and perennial waterlogging are not trustworthy," said Chaitanya.
"Now, the water level has receded by almost a foot and a half because the gates have been opened. But this withdrawal is not enough," he added. "All the gates must be opened."
Moni Shanto, an eighty-year-old resident of Bhabadaha, recalled that in his early days, some of these lands even yielded Aman rice during the season, besides Boro.
"We had a good life, but the disaster started with the building of the sluice gate. Everything got flooded — our house, streets, and yards," he said.
Milton Biswas, holding his pet white dove, said his three bighas have been underwater for five years. "We used to grow Boro rice, but now it's all gone."
Palash said they hesitated to open the gates before because the regulator infrastructure dates back to the 1960s.
Last year, only three gates were opened, which failed to release much water. We had to rely on costly pumping. This year, opening 12 gates bore fruits as it drained more water," said Palash.
"Since the beels lie lower than the river mouth, water doesn't flow out naturally. An emergency 10-foot dredging helped create a temporary drainage channel," he added.
The unchecked dominance of fish enclosure owners has become another major obstacle for farmers. Their negligence, often bordering on abuse, directly failed agricultural livelihoods.
Rules ban roadside embankments and require five-foot gaps between adjacent enclosures for water flow — often ignored by gher owners.
"The solution is to register all ghers — a process currently underway. Once registered, authorities will be able to enforce the law properly," Palash said.
The dredging and TRM dilemma
Responding to long-standing local demands, the interim government has assigned the river dredging work to the army. But residents insist the project be conducted under the direct supervision of the army — not subcontracted through private contractors.
The Sangram Committee pointed out that, despite tendering for Amdanga canal dredging being completed, land acquisition delays continue to stall progress. They also demanded immediate appointment of a full-time sluice gate operator, noting that many gates remain unmanned, blocking water drainage.
They blame years of inaction, vested interests, and anti-people policies for the prolonged closure of Bhabadaha's 21-vent and 9-vent sluice gates since 2012, which has led to heavy siltation across 50–60 km of river channels. The group also called for the reopening of all sluice vents and removal of a bypass bridge which, they say, blocks critical water flow.
But their core demand remains the implementation of TRM — which they say is essential to make dredging effective and sustainable.
"TRM lets high tide bring sediment into a beel. As the tide recedes, the water drops its silt load there, gradually raising the beel's base. Meanwhile, surrounding rivers deepen and regain flow," said Chaitanya.
"Even if you dredge up to Shibsha, silt will return in months without TRM," he added.
Though Bhabadaha is about 150 km inland from the sea, it receives significant silt every day. Normally, tidal flow alternates every six hours. But according to the water board, high tide now arrives in just three hours, while low tide takes up to nine hours to drain — a clear imbalance. This results in 76% of incoming silt settling in the region, as the weak receding flow fails to carry it away.
TRM is designed to break this cycle. However, it comes with its own challenges. When a beel is selected for TRM, it must act as a sediment trap, making it temporarily unusable for cultivation or fish farming. While this benefits surrounding areas, landowners of the selected beel incur short-term losses.
"This is where politics and personal interest interfere," said Shekhar Chandra Biswas. "TRM must be implemented based on tidal dynamics — not influence. And landowners need fair compensation."
The climate change effect
Erratic rainfall has become a growing concern in the Bhabadaha region. For example, while the monsoon typically began in June last year, this year rains started as early as May.
"What can we predict under such shifting conditions?", asked Palash. "Traditionally, we expect the heaviest rains in August. But if we prepare based on that, and rains arrive in May, everything falls apart."
"The Farakka Barrage in India has worsened the problem. With reduced upstream flow from India, water velocity during low tide slows down sharply", concluded Palash.
