Posted on December 14, 2022
At least 15 acres of cropland have already been submerged underwater due to the dredging, claim the farmers
Farmers in Dinajpur district’s Birganj upazila had formed a human chain to protest the excavation of sand from the Atrai River, as it was damaging the croplands of the area.
The human chain was formed at around 10am on Sunday.
The farmers fear that hundreds of their lands will disappear into the river if the sand lifting is not stopped immediately.
Therefore, they demanded the intervention of the administration to stop the excavation.
Abu Bakr Siddique, a local farmer who participated in the human chain said that various crops including jute, rice, mustard, and corn are grown in that area.
“Farmers earn their living solely from the produce of these lands. But the government has been excavating sand from the river in an unplanned manner for a long time. Already about 15 acres of land have been submerged under water from the river, and several hundred are at risk,” he added.
Another farmer named Md Ashraful said that even after giving a written complaint to the upazila nirbahi officer, no action against the matter was taken from the authorities,
