CHATTOGRAM, Oct 10: River Karnaphuli, known as lifeline of Bangladesh's economy as the country's prime sea port is situated on its bank, is shrinking day by day for illegal occupation of the river lands and siltation, said a survey report.
Chattogram Nodi O Khal Rokkha Andolon (CNKRA), a social movement to save rivers and canals, conducted the survey over River Karnaphuli last month.
According to the CNKRA survey report, Karnaphuli is getting narrow in many places due to the illegal occupation of river lands by land grabbers and siltation, and pollution.
The survey report said, according to the ADB master plan and BS survey, Karnaphuli was 886.16 metres wide near Karnaphuli Bridge-1 when the first bridge over the river was constructed at fag end of the last century (90s). At present, the river has shrunk to only 410 metres wide at the same point (Karnaphuli Bridge 1). A total of 476-metre wide water bodies have become char land for siltation over the last two decades and the lands of the rivers have been occupied by influential people who grabbed the land by setting up illegal structures or establishments on them.
The ADB master plan and the BS survey also said that Karnaphuli River was 898 metres wide at Rajakhali point two decades ago and now, the river has reduced to a mere 461-metre wide at that point.
Besides, the river was 904 metres wide at Firingi Bazar point which has now narrowed to only 750 metres wide there, the ADB master plan and BS survey mentioned.
According to the CNKRA survey report, Karnaphuli lost a vast tract of lands at many more points because of illegal occupation and siltation which narrowed the river to the size of a canal in many places in the two decades.
The report mentioned that a total of 158.45 acres of land of Karnaphuli are illegally occupied. Of these, the grabbers of 50.64 acres of lands have filed cases claiming themselves as legal possessors of the lands foiling on multiple occasions eviction attempts by the authorities concerned. The total value of illegally occupied 158.45 acres of land of the river is estimated to be around Tk 23,70 billion or Tk 2,370 crore, the report stated, mentioning, a total of 2,187 unauthorised establishments have been set up on the bank of the river by illegally occupying its lands.
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