Bangladesh embankment breach linked to illegal sand extraction

Residents living along the Khowai River in Habiganj, Bangladesh, now face annual dread as the river's protective embankment shows signs of weakening. This year, the fears materialized when the embankment breached on the night of July 9, leading to widespread flooding.

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For people living along the Khowai River, every monsoon now brings the same dread: that the river's protective embankment could give way without warning.

According to Habiganj Relief and Rehabilitation Officer Alamgir Hossain, the breach inundated at least 30 villages and left approximately 31,000 people stranded. Residents and environmental activists point to years of unchecked illegal sand extraction as the primary cause, arguing that the dredging weakened the structure.

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The company using the dredgers had extracted sand from within about 200 metres at Laskarpur and about 100 metres at Aalapur, violating the conditions of its lease.

Following the collapse in the Kaliganj area, the Shayestaganj upazila administration seized two dredgers. The Bangladesh Water Development Board (BWDB) was instructed to file a case. Mohammad Fazle Rabbani Chowdhury, Shayestaganj Upazila Nirbahi Officer, stated that the company operating the dredgers extracted sand too close to the embankment, violating its lease agreement. A mobile court took action, but a regular case was filed by the BWDB against Iqbal Hossain, owner of Shamim Builders, and Mamunur Rashid for illegally extracting sand and soil, which allegedly weakened the embankment and led to its failure.

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As per the instruction, the board filed a case on Monday against Iqbal Hossain, owner of Shamim Builders, and Mamunur Rashid for extracting sand in violation of the lease conditions.

Despite repeated attempts, the accused could not be reached for comment. Meanwhile, locals in the Charhamua area alleged that illegal sand extraction has been ongoing for years, despite numerous warnings about the danger to the embankment. Md Saheb Ali, a local Union Parishad member, noted that the prolonged dredging weakened the embankment, causing a 200-foot section to collapse and flood several villages. Tofazzal Sohel, a waterkeeper for the Khowai River, highlighted that the Sand Quarry and Soil Management Act of 2010 prohibits such dredging practices, yet they persist, often outside leased areas. He warned that this illegal activity accelerates erosion and increases the risk of embankment failure.

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The case alleges the accused extracted sand and soil too close to the embankment, weakening the structure and causing its collapse.