Drastic fall of groundwater level due to indiscriminate extraction of water mainly for irrigation in the country's Barind region has become a cause for concern. Many areas in the region are now facing an acute shortage of water for the above reason. According to a report of The Financial Express, the fall of groundwater level and extensive use of chemical pesticides for pest control are posing a serious threat to public health. It may be noted that due to distinct soil condition and comparatively higher elevation of the Barind tract some 20 to 40 meters above the sea level, rivers that could serve as water reservoirs in the areas are small in number. Naturally, agriculture in the region depends mainly on groundwater extraction. The region has now turned into a dry and arid area due to deforestation and use of subterranean water for irrigation and other purposes. The worsening of the situation could be avoided had there been an extensive network of canals to supply surface water for irrigation. But there is no such provision.
However, dependence on groundwater for irrigation is no longer specific to the north-western region; it is more or less the same in areas where rivers and other open and closed water bodies were far greater in number even a few decades ago. But many of such natural water reservoirs have either met the end of their life or started drying up in the natural process of accumulation of silt and also for mindless encroachment by powerful quarters. Unplanned dam construction has also a role in the loss of navigability and dying condition of a large number of rivers. Big or small rivers alike accumulated huge quantities of silt on their beds over long periods of time but no measures such as capital dredging and river training have been taken for the revival of the dead rivers or rivers in their death throes.
Even in areas once crisscrossed by rivers and dotted with many water bodies, farmers now depend on groundwater for irrigation because of dwindling numbers of sweet water sources. The country withdraws an estimated 32 cubic kilometers (7.7 cubic miles) of groundwater annually, 90 per cent of which is used for irrigation, according to a joint study by the Directorate of Groundwater Hydrology and the World Bank. Bangladesh ranks sixth in the world among countries with the largest estimated annual groundwater extraction, according to the UN World Water Development Report 2022. As a result, the groundwater level in the country is going down at a faster rate. These are simply horrifying in this very wet country receiving on an average about 2,200 millimeters of rainfall per year and washed by frequent floods. If rivers and other water bodies were maintained properly, surface water would be enough for irrigation.
Bangladesh is a deltaic plain created by three mighty river systems namely the Ganges, the Brahmaputra and the Meghna that originated from the Himalayan range and adjoining regions and ended their journey in the Bay of Bengal. Those rivers and hundreds of their tributaries carried billions of tonnes of silt over millions of years and deposited the same at their estuaries. This process ultimately led to the geo-physical formation of this largest delta in the world. But that is not all about their role: those were behind the development of a distinct type of ecology and environment and flora and fauna of unique nature. Those also shaped the life and livelihood of the people and left behind an indelible mark on their culture.
It is evident from the above facts that rivers are vitally important to the economy of this country. The interconnecting rivers served as communication network and played vital roles in trade and commerce. Rivers abound with hundreds of delicious fish species met a significant part of people's nutrition demand and were the sources of livelihood of a large fishing community. According to sources, 60 per cent of the country's population still depends on river water for their animal protein intake. Rivers were the primary sources of irrigation for agriculture. The World Bank estimated that rivers contribute $1.2 billion to Bangladesh's economy annually.
Nature bestowed Bangladesh with all these resources. But instead of ensuring their sustainable use, those were rather left unused or underused. Indifference and negligence to rivers is evident from the rivers around the capital city. Those have been pushed to such a deplorable condition that aquatic plants and animals cannot live in them for heavy pollution and lack of dissolved oxygen in their water. Developed road and railway communication networks are no doubt essential for faster growth of the economy but lopsided emphasis was given on them to the neglect of the inland waterways. Irrigation with river water with low cost technologies would have been quite cheaper but, instead, loss of these natural facilities led to irrigation with costly foreign technology and imported fossil fuel. According to an estimate, out of a total of 24,000 kilometres of rivers, some 5,900 km waterway at present is navigable in the rainy season and only about 3,800 kilometres remain so during the dry season. A nation that neglects its resources bestowed by nature only deserves pity.
However, time is not over yet to frame strategies for maintaining navigability of the existing rivers and reclaiming the lost ones with necessary dredging and river training. Special emphasis should be given on bringing dying rivers back to life. Irrigation with groundwater should be phased out and reverted to the use of surface water from rivers and canals. The Bangladesh Delta Plan 2100 has set before it six specific goals, five of which are focused on conservation of rivers, wetlands and ecosystem and efficient use of water. Now, specific plans should be chalked out and implemented to bring the dead and dying rivers back to life and ensure their sustainable use.
© 2025 - All Rights with The Financial Express
