SOS from southwest: Severe waterlogging causes widespread misery in four districts

• 3 lakh people's homes submerged for at least 6 months in Jashore
• Over 1 lakh people in 20 villages severely affected in Khulna
• 4 broken sluice gates flood 7,000 acres in Bagerhat
• Over 50 waterlogged villages affect around 50,000 residents in Satkhira

Continuous rainfall throughout September has resulted in severe waterlogging across several wetlands in four districts of south-western Bangladesh, causing significant hardship for residents.

Thousands of acres remain submerged in the Bhabadah area of Jashore, Beel Dakatia in Khulna, Bagerhat's Badokhali Beel (swamp), and parts of Satkhira's sadar and municipal areas. 

Khulna

In Khulna, residents of Beel Dakatia area have been severely affected by waterlogging, impacting over one lakh people across 20 villages. 

Water from Beel Dakatia drains through 11 rivers in Dumuria upazila. Although the WDB built 75 sluice gates across these rivers in the 1960s, 54 are now out of order. 

Abdur Rahman Tazkia, executive engineer for WDB Khulna-1, said waterlogging is caused by silt blocking the sluice gates, but restoration efforts are underway.

Bagerhat

Bagerhat's Badokhali Beel has also reported waterlogging, affecting around 50,000 people from 13 villages. This beel spans 7,000 acres across Jatrapur, Karapara, and Shatgomboj unions in Sadar upazila. 

Abu Raihan Mohammad Al-Biruni, executive engineer of the Bagerhat WDB, noted that four broken sluice gates are hindering proper drainage. Funding has been requested for repairs, and these gates will be prioritised once funding is received.

Satkhira

In Satkhira, over 50 villages remain waterlogged, leaving approximately 50,000 people in crisis. The Betna River is the only drainage route for low-lying areas in the municipality. 

Md Monirul Islam, executive engineer of WDB Satkhira-2, reported that many parts of the Betna River are silted, but dredging efforts have begun to restore water flow.

Advocate Abul Kalam Azad, member secretary of the Satkhira Citizens' Committee, expressed dissatisfaction with the situation. 

He said the Tk476 crore project to dredge the Betna River, which started in June 2021, has not resolved the waterlogging problem.

A woman navigates through waist-deep water while carrying bricks in Jashore's Abhaynagar. Photo: TBS

Jashore

Residents in Jashore's Bhabadah area are suffering the most.

Ranjit Bawali, convener of the Bhabadah Pani Niskashan Sangram Committee, said the community in the area has endured unimaginable suffering for the past 44 years. 

"Homes are submerged for at least six months a year, and schools cannot operate for two months. This year's heavier rainfall has worsened conditions for nearly 3 lakh people," he said.

According to the Water Development Board (WDB), polders 24 and 25 were built in the 1960s to prevent floods and saline water intrusion, aiming to enhance food production and housing in the Bhabadah area. 

Although this initiative improved socio-economic conditions for 20 years, silt deposition in rivers has raised riverbeds, causing the wetlands to become lower than the rivers and resulting in water stagnation during the monsoon season.

The Bhabadah area includes parts of Manirampur, Keshabpur, and Abhaynagar in Jashore, as well as Dumuria and Phultala in Khulna. 

Bawali also said despite 21 projects with a budget of Tk600 crore from 1990 to 2024, the waterlogging issue persists. There are 27 wetlands in Bhabadah, with the only drainage route through the sluice gate of the Hari River, which is ineffective due to depletion. 

He added, "In 2022, the WDB initiated a Tk45 crore project to tackle waterlogging in the region; however, we advocated for a Tidal River Management project instead, but our concerns were disregarded, which has worsened the situation."

Unless the Alamdanga canal is swiftly restored, water removal will remain impossible, he added.

Nine pumps are currently being used to drain water into the Hari River, with a 3.3 km stretch of the river undergoing dredging to improve navigability. Plans to restore the Alamdanga canal are also in progress, said Jashore WDB Executive Engineer Palash Kumar Banerjee.

Speaking to The Business Standard, Md Nazmul Ahsan, secretary of the Ministry of Water Resources, said, "Prompt measures are being taken for drainage. We are trying to see if we can drain the water using the existing system. Nevertheless, the people in the area have certain expectations. We will take steps in the future according to their wishes."