On the eastern side of the launch ghat in Nabinagar municipal area of Brahmanbaria, Farid Uddin Ahmed, the owner of Ahmed Private Hospital, filled about 20 percent of the Titas River with sand by installing a dredger in the dark of night. The matter came to the attention of the locals after the sand under the water woke up last Saturday (September 5). Later, a storm of discussion, criticism and protest arose on social media regarding the matter.

In view of this, the Nabinagar Upazila administration conducted a mobile court at the spot on Sunday (September 6). During the operation, Executive Magistrate and Upazila Nirbahi Officer Rakibul Islam fined the concerned party Tk 2 lakh in cash. At the same time, it was ordered to remove all the sand filled in the river section by September 20.

However, Ahmed Hospital owner Farid Uddin Ahmed denied the allegations and claimed that the filled area was his legally purchased property. He said, “According to BS records, I am the owner of that land. I have 35 percent of the land on the river bank, of which I have filled about 20 percent with sand. Since this is null category land and my hospital is adjacent, the area is being filled for the purpose of expanding the hospital.”

In this regard, Nabinagar Upazila Executive Officer Rakibul Islam said, “There is no legal scope for occupying the river or filling part of the river. According to government records, the area is part of the river. A fine of Tk 2 lakh has been imposed in this incident and the filled sand has been ordered to be removed by September 20.”

The Titas River is one of the most important waterways in the region. Several launches, more than a hundred passenger boats and speedboats still ply daily with Bhairab and Narsingdi through this river. Cargo from different parts of the country also uses this river route. Paddy, rice and wheat from the Nabinagar Upazila food warehouse as well as various goods of traders from Sadar Bazar are also transported through this river route.

To restore the navigability of the river, about 24 kilometers of the river route were dredged from Nabinagar to Kasbar Kuti Bazar under the ‘Capital Dredging Naupath’ project from 2018 to 2020. The project was implemented at a cost of about 26 core 64 lakh 90 thousand taka. Local residents Azad, Humayun, Bashir, Mashiur and Joynal Mia allege that the Titas River is gradually narrowing due to silting and losing its natural navigability. Farmers also suffer greatly in irrigation work due to the decrease in water during the dry season.

In addition, if sand filling in the river continues in this way, boat traffic may be disrupted during the dry season and a severe water crisis may arise. They fear that if the river filling and encroachment continues, the river-dependent biodiversity will be seriously threatened and the local fishing community will face a livelihood crisis. The locals have demanded the immediate removal of illegally filled sand in the Titas River, determination of the correct boundaries of the river, eviction of illegal encroachments, and exemplary action against those who violate the river and environmental laws.

According to the locals, although the area was once part of the river, it is currently included as ‘nil’ in the land office records through a change in category. In this situation, they have demanded that effective steps be taken to protect the river by determining the actual boundaries of the river.