Meghalaya mining effluent makes cropland barren in Sunamganj

SUNAMGANJ, June 04: People of five bordering villages in Tahirpur upazila of Sunamganj district have already lost their homesteads and cultivable lands due to sand and mining effluent that also filled two haors in the locality with its sediments and granules, locals have complained.
During the monsoon and rainy season, mining effluents with a large amount of sediments and granules come from across the border where the mining work continues at the hills of Meghalaya, they added.
Even grass does not grow now on the land in these villages and nobody buys these coloured sand and granules, although sands and stones extracted from the Jadukata River are sold to the people across the country, they added.
"Crops no longer grow on our land," said Abdur Rahim of Haluar ghat whose nine bighas of cultivable land now turns barren on the bank of the Jadukata River that flows from across the border.
Andrew Sholomar of village Rajai said, "I have already lost about 15 acres out of my 20 acres of land. It is already barren now."
Coloured water comes through six channels from across the border carrying a huge volume of sediments and granules, he said pointing out his fertile land that has been filled with effluents.
These six water channels located in West Khasi Hill, according to him, neither remains active round the year nor discharges effluents all the time. During the monsoon and rainy season, effluents are turning more cultivable land barren every year.
Of the six channels that carry mining effluents from Meghalaya, Nayasara is the latest addition and started flowing through the area more than a decade ago.
"We lost our land along with many others of our village when Nayasara came into existence opening a new course for discharge of mine effluent about 13 years ago," he noted.
Uttar Bardal union parishad chairman Abul Kashem told this correspondent that about 1,000 acres of land in Pachashul haor and 200 acres in Selayyar haor have now been filled with sediments and pebbles.
"Water channels namely Rajani line, Burunga, Banger ghat, Borosora, Lakmasora and Nayasora carry coloured water during the monsoon and rainy season," said another elderly man, adding that sometimes their colour turns orange or red and sometimes black. Colour of the water changes depending on discharge of mining effluents, he added.
Arshad Mia, a resident of Rojoniline village, said villagers cannot use water of these channels for drinking, cooking or washing purposes.
"Water of most of these channels is muddy, but in some parts where it looks clean it doesn't seem to be good for use of human beings. It tastes bitter when drunk, body itches when used for bathing and it turns clothes shabby when washed."
Villagers now use tube-well water or fetch water from the river.
According to the government's estimate, Sunamganj district alone lost crop worth Tk 1,500 crore. Flash flood also affected fisheries and livestock in the haor region. About 50 tonnes of fish died in Sunamganj district.
"Fishes in the haors of Sunamganj died last year too, but its amount was not so enormous," said the journalist who linked the black water discharged through the channels of Meghalaya hills to the death of fishes in the haors of the district.
Zahedul Haque, deputy director of Department of Agricultural Extension in Sunamganj, said at least 120 hectares of arable land have been filled with sand in Tahirpur upazila in the last few years, turning it completely barren.
"The damage is massive in the region, located south of the Meghalaya hills near the border," he added.
    iqbal