Sand lifters back in rivers

Defy water authorities’ suspension on work order
Sand lifters in the river Buriganga near Basila returned for sand extraction on Friday amidst protests of locals and suspension of the work orders by the authorities three weeks ago.
Meanwhile, authorities of the third Buriganga Bridge have expressed their concern over the fact, as it may cause damage to the foundation of the bridge.
The Bangladesh Inland Water Transport Authority (BIWTA) suspended work orders of sand extraction in the Buriganga near Basila on July 13 following a report published in The Daily Star.
BIWTA, however, has been playing a mysterious role regarding this.
Contacted yesterday, BIWTA Chairman Md Abdul Mannan Howlader said he did not have any idea as to how the sand lifters had returned.
“You better inform the law enforcement agencies of the matter,” he suggested.
Interestingly, BIWTA dredging experts expressed apprehension that such sand extraction from the riverbed might even change the natural course of the river.
The BIWTA on June 26 permitted M/s Ali International Associates to extract 10 lakh cubic feet of sand from areas near Basila and Jhaochar with the help of three dredgers over a period of 30 days.
The company, however, employed 14 powerful dredgers in the area to lift a huge volume of sand selling at over half a million taka each day.
These powerful dredgers have been operating round the clock since June 25 filling large barges, each with capacity of up to 9,000 cubic feet of sand, in less than an hour. They are sent to the country’s largest market in Amin Bazar, some 10 kilometres upstream.
In a letter to Ali Associates International, BIWTA’s Senior Deputy Director Golam Kabir informed the company that his office had decided to suspend all work orders related to sand lifting on the basis of violation of clauses in the contract. Copies of this letter were also sent to police and Rab headquarters.
The large scale dredging operation near the densely populated locality on the riverbank created panic among the residents who had, in August 2004, witnessed an unprecedented erosion that devoured over 100 houses including six-storey buildings caused by such sand piracy.
An elderly resident of Basila said the Buriganga was dredged scientifically a few years ago to pave the way for the water ministry’s Circular Waterway Project. The permission for sand extraction cannot be justified. The deal to sell sand and make crores of taka at the cost of their homes, land and river must be investigated, he demanded.

Courtesy of The Daily Star