As water flows through the Baral again, so does hope for region’s residents
After four decades, the sluice gates at Charghat and Atgharia on the Baral river have been removed, reopening opportunities for communities, agriculture, and biodiversity restoration across Rajshahi and Pabna
In Charghat, fisherman Joynul Islam watched with hope as water rushed into the Baral river. For years, his livelihood had withered away along with the river itself.
"I used to make a living by fishing in the Baral," he recalled. "I could not fish for a long time because the river had no water and had turned into a dead canal. This year, water from the Padma suddenly came into the Baral, and it filled my heart with joy. I hope I can make a living by fishing from a small boat again, like I used to," he added.
After four decades, the sluice gates at Charghat and Atgharia on the Baral river are being removed, reopening opportunities for communities, agriculture, and biodiversity restoration across Rajshahi and Pabna.
Once a mighty river, now choked
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The Baral River is a 220-kilometre-long tributary of the Padma, and it originates at Charghat in Rajshahi before flowing eastward to join the Jamuna. It was once a fast-flowing river, it nourished fertile farmland, and supported abundant fish stocks.
It also once sustained tributaries, including rivers like the Musa Khan, Narod, Chikanai, Ratnai, Nandkuja, Gumani, and Chini.
That began to change in 1984, when the Water Development Board (WDB) built a sluice gate at the Baral's source in Charghat and two more at Atgharia, intending to protect communities from the Padma's floods.
Alongside these, over 50 sluice gates, dams and bridges were constructed along the Baral's course, including about 63 bridges so narrow they strangled its natural flow.
The unintended consequences were severe.
"Because of these regulators, the river's water flow has decreased further," said Mojnu Mia, a long-time resident. "There are no fish in the river. Where will the fish be if there's no water? The water level in this river is so low that we cannot even get water from our tubewells, the layer of which is supposed to be above the river's water level."
By the late 1990s, vast stretches of the river resembled a dead canal. Encroachment, pollution, and siltation worsened the decline. Despite several expensive attempts, the flow never returned. "More than 60 constricted bridges have been built on the Baral river," observed Abdul Hamid, a civil engineer from the area.
"These sluice gates should be removed, and the constricted bridges should be broken. The silt that has accumulated at the riverbed should also be removed to restore the normal flow of the river," he added.
As the Baral deteriorated, the loss became undeniable. Farmers struggled to irrigate their land. Fishermen abandoned traditional livelihoods. Villages lost access to groundwater as levels sank below the reach of tubewells.
Fishermen Shofi and Bulu said the sluice gate at the Padma's confluence caused the Baral river to lose its navigability.
"However, we are happy because the water has returned to the river this year. Now it feels like the Baral is the familiar river it used to be. We will be able to make a living by catching fish and selling them in the market," they added.
Their joy comes after years of frustration. Local and national environmental groups repeatedly warned that unplanned infrastructure and unchecked encroachment were suffocating the river. Media reports, research papers, and grassroots campaigns pressed the authorities to act.
Shift in government stance
On 19 May 2025, Syeda Rizwana Hasan, adviser to the Ministry of Environment, Forest, and Climate Change and Water Resources, visited Charghat to inspect the Baral. Standing by the choked river, she acknowledged both the original intentions and present realities.
"The sluice gates were not built for anyone's personal gain; they were built to control floods," she explained. "But the reality now is different. I do not think there is any justification for keeping the Charghat sluice gate anymore, but if you just remove the sluice gate and do not dredge the river, you will not get any benefits. Therefore, we will work on both together."
I used to make a living by fishing in the Baral. I could not fish for a long time because the river had no water and had turned into a dead canal. This year, water from the Padma suddenly came into the Baral, and it filled my heart with joy. I hope I can make a living by fishing from a small boat again, like I used to.
She announced an integrated restoration plan; an 18-kilometre section of the river clogged with silt would be dredged, and the sluice gates at its mouth dismantled.
"The government is determined to bring back the flow of the once-mighty Baral river," she said, assuring residents that ecological restoration was now a priority.
Signs of revival
True to her word, work began soon after. The Water Development Board removed the Charghat sluice gate in Rajshahi and two more sluice gates from Atgharia in Baraigram, Natore.
Partha Sarkar, Sub-Divisional Engineer of the WDB, confirmed the move, "The three sluice gates were removed as part of this effort."
"At the instruction of Adviser Syeda Rizwana Hasan, the sluice gate shutters on the Baral have been removed to increase water flow. It is hoped that this will increase the water flow in the dead canal," he added.
Built with the stated aim of flood control, the Charghat sluice gate had, in practice, deprived entire districts of water. Decades of dredging projects consumed crores of public money but failed to restore flow because the main structural flaw remained.
Environmentalists argue that the sluice gates may have protected against floods in the 1980s, but they gradually destroyed the natural resilience of the river system.
Still, the removal marks a rare victory in river conservation. For many villagers, it is nothing short of a rebirth. "Now it feels like the Baral is the familiar river it used to be," Shofi and Bulu stated.
But challenges remain. Without systematic dredging, encroachment clearance, and redesigning of narrow bridges, the Baral risks silting up again.
Even Adviser Rizwana Hasan, while optimistic, emphasised the need for patience and integration: sluice gate removal alone is not enough.
For now though, hope flows with the water.
