Teesta Barrage faces threat

"The Teesta Barrage may become ineffective and cause a disaster if this practice continues", Dalia Division Executive Engineer of Water Development Board Zahirul Islam told newsmen on Saturday.

This is going on though the district administration banned extraction of sand and rock from the "risky area" and the NSI (National Security Intelligence) in a report termed it a "sabotage" and suggested an immediate halt to it, he said. The NSI investigated the matter following an order by the homer ministry.

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Despite sincere efforts, the WDB could not stop the illegal extraction, going on in the area for the last two years.

Zahirul Islam said WDB filed 31 cases with Dilma thana against the illegal extractors in the last two years and wrote letters to different quarters including the district administration, mineral resources ministry and the Department of Envir-onment (DoE), but to no effect.

This correspondent during a visit saw hundreds of labourers and boring machines (deep tube wells) engaged in extracting rocks and sand from the 20 km "risky area" stretching from Chhai Anir Char (one km from the Teesta Barrage) to the Kaliganj zero point (where Teesta enters Bangladesh).

Thirteen groins, some solid spars, T dams and many other structures have been built in the "risky area" of the river to protect the barrage and to keep the Teesta flow in the right track.

Sand and water also come out along with rocks during boring. After separating the rocks with nets, the sand is left and stockpiled. Sand heaps up to 30 feet height were seen in Chhai Anir Char area.

During rain, the stockpiled sand is swept away and carried into the river.

"This (the sand carried by rainwater) will form shoals and gradually clog the sluice gates of the barrage.

"If shoals are formed near the barrage, it (barrage) will become ineffective", Zahirul Islam said.

There will be a disaster if sluice gates get clogged and can not be opened in time, he added.

The lifted rocks are stockpiled on the embankment and shore areas, from where those are carried by trucks. This has created many small breaches in the embankment, which will make it (the embankment) vulnerable in the coming rainy season, people working in the area said.

Due to indiscriminate lifting of sand and rock, formation of new shoals and erosion, the main channel of the river is approaching the 'closur dam', built to protect the barrage. If the 'closur dam' is damaged, the barrage will be threatened, Zahirul Islam said.

When contacted, the district administration said they have banned extraction of rock and sand from the "risky area" covering 20 km in the upstream and 10 km in the downstream from the barrage. The latest official order (memo no Jep/Nifa/RA:/Ne:/PA:/BA:/2-29 (175)/96/03) was issued on January 26 this year, they said.

Sources in the Dimla upazila administration said they have allowed a private firm to realise 'royalty' from trucks carrying sand and rock from areas other than the "risky area". The trucks carrying sand and rock from far away areas pass through the barrage area, they said. The royalty is 30 paisa (point 30 taka) per cubic feet of rock and 10 paisa (point 10 taka) per cubic feet of sand.

Other sources claimed that the firm is owned by a ruling party man from Dimla. He has engaged 24 small firms to extract sand and rock from the risky area, they claimed.

Zahirul Islam said that in reply to a WDB letter, the mineral resources ministry earlier informed them that it did not give permission to any body to extract rock and sand from any place in Nilphamari district.

He also said the Rajshahi Divisional Deputy Director (Technical) of the Department of Environmental on March 18 issued an order to stop the rock extraction immediately.