From C K Nayak
NEWDELHI: Illegal mining be it coal, lime stone or just stone, is not only causing ecological devastation in Meghalaya but also in neighbouring villages in Bangladesh, reports from across the border said.
One of the worst affected areas is Chandpur village in Tahirpur Upazila of Sunamganj district which is now full of sands coming down from the rivers and waterfalls in the upstream Meghalaya.
Sand and stone chips dumped from unplanned mining operations in the Meghalaya are being flushed downstream to Bangladesh, affecting arable land and decreasing the depths of the river basins.
This in turn is making the northeastern region of Bangladesh adjacent to Meghalaya vulnerable to flash-floods, according to the Department of Agricultural Extension’s Sunamganj district office.
Hundreds of hectares of arable land have been covered by sand in Tahirpur upazila over the last decade, turning it completely barren, the report said.
Not only arable lands but also wet lands, lakes, canals and even villages after villages have been affected with these sand deposits.
The Shaheed Siraj Lake, popularly known as Niladri Lake, known for its scenic hilly surroundings and blue water is now all grey with sands.
Crop fields, houses, and even Pochashulbill, a large wetland area, have disappeared under sand, the report said.
Chandpur Government Primary School’s ground floor and the playground in front have disappeared under sand,it added.
A large canal that once supplied water to the Pochashulbill has completely disappeared, with only an abandoned bridge attesting to its presence.
All the freshwater fish and other animals in the area, including snakes, are dead or gone.
One expert of Sylhet Agricultural University, said every year around 80 million tons of sand come down to the area from upland, which is in the bordering state of Meghalaya.
Most of remnants after illegal but widespread mining come to the Sunamganj and Sylhet borders through rivers and waterfalls.
Around 800 families in these three villages have been affected, many from the ethnic Khasia and Garo communities. One engineer of Sylhet said that the massive influx of soil is due to landslides and trees getting uprooted upstream.
The man made catastrophe has affected the entire ecology of the region.