United News of Bangladesh

Unchecked sand extraction from the banks of the Meghna River in Matlab North upazila of Chandpur is putting the 64-kilometre embankment under the Meghna-Dhanagoda flood control project in serious risk. The embankment protects 14 unions of Matlab North and a village of Matlab South, home to around seven lakh people. As per the Sand Fields and Soil Management Act), 2010 extraction is prohibited within one kilometre of critical infrastructure such as bridges, culverts, dams, roads, and residential zones. Locals alleged that despite months of open sand lifting no strict action has been taken by the local administration. Erosion threat looms over historic Munshiganj Market Miscreants extracted soil with dredgers from Dashani, Shatnal, Nasira Kandi and Borchar areas along the river recently, they said. They alleged that a sand syndicate led by Kibria Miaji have been running the illegal business for years. Rivalries over such activities led to clashes and even deaths in the past and cases are still ongoing. “They are lifting sand day and night with dredgers. Our croplands and homesteads being washed away due to riverbanks erosion,” said Majedur Rahman, a resident of Dashani village. Moulvibazar’s roads in ruins, locals plead for repairs “If the embankment collapses, vast areas of Matlab North and South will go under water but no action is being taken,” he said.