Mozahidur Rahaman, Khulna Bureau
More than 50 villages across Dumuria and Phultala upazilas of Khulna have remained submerged for over five months, destroying crops and fish farms and leaving thousands of families without livelihoods. Losses have reached hundreds of crores of taka, while a permanent solution to the recurring waterlogging remains uncertain.
Sabitri Mallik, 55, of Varanasi village in the Bil Dakatia area, has been stranded by floodwaters for five months. With her home surrounded by water, she travels nearly a kilometre by boat every day to collect drinking water.
Villages across the Rangpur, Raghunathpur, Dhamalia and Rudaghara unions of Dumuria and Phultala upazilas remain inundated. Roads and school premises are underwater, crops have perished and fish have been washed away, pushing residents who depend on farming and aquaculture into a severe crisis.
Many residents previously earned their living by farming and cultivating vegetables, including eggplants. With their land submerged, agricultural activities and fish farming have ground to a halt. Deprived of income, some families have been forced to sell their cattle to buy food. Children cannot attend school regularly, while transporting sick people to dry land for medical treatment has become difficult.
Residents say that despite recurring waterlogging year after year, no permanent solution has been implemented. The prolonged inundation has restricted movement and left families facing a deepening financial crisis.
According to relevant sources, the 10-vent sluice gate on the Sholmari River is a major drainage outlet for Bil Dakatia. Although various projects have been undertaken to maintain normal water flow, siltation in the river and excessive sediment in front of the sluice gate have obstructed drainage, causing annual waterlogging.
Ashraful Alam, executive engineer at the Khulna office of the Bangladesh Water Development Board, said five of the sluice gate's vents had been opened to allow some water to drain. Efforts were also under way to facilitate drainage through the Mayur River.
Ali Azgar Lobby, Member of Parliament for the Khulna-5 constituency, said a permanent solution would require substantial investment. A project, potentially involving a foreign company or another country, could cost more than Tk 3,000 crore to restore normal conditions, he said. However, no specific timeline has been announced for a permanent resolution.
Sources said that once the water is drained, around 30,000 hectares of land in Bil Dakatia could be brought under cultivation, allowing residents to resume farming and aquaculture. For now, persistent waterlogging continues to prevent them from making use of this potential.
Governments have come and gone, but the suffering of Bil Dakatia's residents remains unresolved. Waterlogging in the Dumuria area is estimated to have caused losses of Tk 100 crore in a single year. Having lost their main sources of income, thousands of people face an uncertain future, waiting for the water to recede and their lives to return to normal. #EK