Buriganga artery blocked

Syndicate of 50 claims land in Atir Khal, set to fill it up, sell as plots
Defying the wetland protection act and a prime ministerial order, a real estate developer has embarked on a project to fill up Atir Khal, one of the busiest canals till today, connected with the river Buriganga, and serving thousands of farmers, traders, and commuters of at least a dozen places of Keraniganj.
Waaspur Garden City, a syndicate of about 50 individuals, has now demarcated the canal that also includes an area below a 300 feet long bridge connecting Looter Char with Ghater Char.
According to local residents, each member of the syndicate paid Tk 5 lakh to form the company, which ‘owns’ some land there. The idea is to fill up the canal and create plots for sale, and ‘force’ other ‘land owners’ who claim ownership of the canal bed, to pay for the
earthfilling and become a member of the housing company for a fee.
With dredging pipes and volgates (pumps) at the site, officials of the company said they will start filling up the canal within a week. They also said the canal in fact belongs to private owners with documents ‘authenticated’ by British, Pakistani and Bangladeshi surveys.
Age-old Atir Khal originates from the Buriganga at Waaspur and winds its way to Kholamora, where it meets the river again in the north through important trading centres of Looter Char, Ghater Char, Emargaon, Joynagar, Atir Bazar, Panchdona, and Balurchar.
The canal also serves one of the largest communities of private dairy milk producers, who every day for decades have been transporting their produce to wholesale markets in the old part of the capital via landing stations by the river Buriganga in Sadarghat and Showarighat areas.
In addition to the threat from the real estate developer, another big challenge Atir Khal faces is also at Waaspur end, where a brick kiln owner built a road across the canal, totally blocking its passage. The road in fact had been built two years ago, but in the face of protests from local farmers and commuters, the owner of the road had been forced to keep a small culvert like opening for water transports to pass through. This year the culvert was replaced by concrete and bricks, indicating that Atir Khal has been blocked for ever. The kiln owner, Latt Mia, however displays ‘valid ownership documents’ for the canal.
On the other side of the road the dry canal stretches beyond the bridge connecting Looter Char with Ghater Char. Under the bridge several more plots are demarcated by concrete walls. At one corner workers piled about 50 dredger pipes indicating that Atir Khal will soon be filled up there too.
Further down from Waaspur end, the canal is mindlessly filled up and narrowed down to a mere ten feet. And further down, near the landing station of Atir Bazar, a half of the canal has been encroached upon by a retired member of the Bangladesh armed forces.
But the Atir Bazar end of the canal is still extremely busy with river buses and motorboats running between Atir Bazar and Showarighat, and many other destinations, defying the chokehold.
Khalilur Rahman, a social worker and a freedom fighter from nearby Taranagar said strangulation of Atir Khal will mean enormous sufferings for millions in the area. He said the canal has existed for centuries serving millions in the whole region, and the people there will never like to watch it disappear.
If the canal is dredged and restored to its past glory, the environment of the area will drastically improve. It will also improve the social and economic conditions of the area.
Moreover, canals are the lifelines of any river. Restoring Atir Khal will definitely pump some life into the dying Buriganga, which in turn will share its water, for the canal to survive.

Courtesy of The Daily Star