Time to end the leasing of wetlands?
Leasing of wetlands in Bangladesh have led to severe environmental and social consequences, including disrupted water flow, increased waterlogging, and the displacement of traditional fishing communities
Less than 20 years ago, large sand-laden bulkheads used to ply the Gachhtola ghat canal in Bhairab during the monsoon. During high monsoon, when the canal would overflow with rain water flowing in from all directions, one or two boats would get stuck under the bridge. Children would jump from the railing of the bridge into the water all day long, with their mothers having to round them up with a small stick in hand.
Then, late president Zillur Rahman promised to turn Bhairab into a district, and the land prices started to skyrocket as a consequence. People started to sandfill all the lowlands to turn them into residential areas.
Although Bhairab was never made a district, Gachhtola ghat canal also got filled up by local influentials. According to local reports, some parts of the canal's class was changed to lowland in order to legalise the encroachment.
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Today, Gachhtola ghat bridge is still there, but there is no canal beneath it. Also, houses and factories are popping up everywhere on what was once the canal. Along with stopping riverine transport, the encroachment also hinders water flow, increasing vulnerability to waterlogging.
Even more atrocious is the allocation of a part of Ramchandrapur canal in Mohammadpur, blocking its water flow, to renowned Rabindra Sangeet artist Rezwana Chowdhury Bonna. The Awami League government allotted this land to the singer's music school, Shurer Dhara, for 30 years, which the lessee could extend to 99 years. The interim government, however, cancelled the allotment after assuming office in August last year.
There are ample examples like these that show that canals across the country are susceptible to encroachment by influentials, in collaboration with corrupt government officials, riding on the provision of leasing out water bodies in general — canals in particular, and khas lands.
Although 'open' and flowing water bodies such as rivers and canals are not supposed to be leased out according to law, authorities often do it, changing the class of the waterbody to 'closed' ones.
And even though jalmahals (wetlands) are to be leased out to people and cooperatives actually dependent on fishing, in reality, local influentials with money and connections get those leases, and actual fishers just work as labourers, or the allotted wetland is sub-leased to other people, which is clearly prohibited in the Jalmahal Management Policy, 2009.
Earlier this month, the clashes between two factions of BNP over the control of a jalmahal in Lakhai, Habiganj, which was earlier leased to the local Awami League president and MP, laid the game bare — it showed how the jalmahals are exploited by politically influential people, depriving the fishers.
It is clear that the revenue received from the jalmahal is so negligible compared to the national budget. What is the point of holding the lives and livelihoods of around 2 crore people hostage except to serve corrupt influentials?
Last year in February, the Pabna district administration decided to lease out 31 sections of 10 rivers for fish farming, labeling them state-owned enclosed water bodies. According to reports, among these rivers were Boral, Ichhamati, and some parts of the mighty Padma. This violated the policy, and sparked outrage among environmental activists and locals.
Whenever such canals and rivers are leased out, the influential lessees use the wetland at their discretion, often barring locals from using its water, or placing earthen barriers along the course to make smaller 'ponds' for the ease of management. The Jalmahal Management Policy prohibits blocking the flow, and allows drawing water for irrigation.
The role of government authorities in allowing encroachment on these canals cannot be overstated. Just two years back in Patharghata, Barguna, upazila administration planned to change the land type of a canal to build Ashrayan project houses.
All these are happening at a time when the government, with funding from international financial institutions, are constructing drainage systems all across the country with a stated goal of preparing for climate change.
As Bangladesh is poised to experience more rainfall as a consequence of climate change, drainage of rainwater runoff has already become a big issue not only in the cities but also in the smaller towns and in many rural areas.
These canals, even the seasonal ones, have always acted as natural drainage systems, and they are precious assets that serve the communities in many ways, including preserving the native fish resources. The latter, of course, is often harmed as the lessees tend to catch the 'mother' fishes to maximise profit — another act prohibited under the Jalmahal Management Policy.
Some experts think it is high time we reconsidered the policy and stop leasing out wetlands.
"The question is, what to do in this situation? We have been saying for a long time that the easiest and most appropriate solution is to abolish the Jalmahal leasing system," said Sheikh Rokon, founder and secretary general of Riverine People, an organisation working on conserving rivers, canals and wetlands.
"It is not like the government gets a gigantic revenue from leasing jalmahals. For example, in the 2022-23 fiscal year, only Tk117.35 crore was obtained from leasing out 39,134 jalmahals. It can be mentioned that in that fiscal year, the national budget was Tk678,064 crore," he added.
The researcher and writer said, the number of registered fishermen in the country as of the fiscal year 2022-23 was 1,764,154. Therefore, according to the Ministry of Fisheries and Livestock, the livelihood of 1.95 crore people in the country is directly and indirectly dependent on the fisheries sector.
"It is clear that the revenue received from the jalmahal is so negligible compared to the national budget. What is the point of holding the lives and livelihoods of around 2 crore people hostage except to serve corrupt influentials?" Rokon asked.
He said the lives of crores of fishermen can change with a decision to abolish the jalmahal system, adding that the jalmahals can be maintained and used by the local communities under some set rules which will ensure the preservation of the wetlands.
