Titas was a dry stream until recently when it became a dead river. "Titas is the name of a river" from the classic novel by Advait Mallavarman and the film directed by the well-known Hrithik Ghatak.
Fisherman & his families are living an inhuman life
Titas has spoken about the enormous seas, the breast waves, and the vibrant excitement there. These terms are currently exclusive to the literature. Now, the true picture is different. Now this Titus is only memory, only history. The inhabitants of Muradnagar upazila in Cumilla are now suffering because of the Titus River and its branches.
The river has already vanished since most of the upazila has been filled in. The river is now an arable field because the water has dried up. The upazila's thousands of hectares of Iri-boro crops are in danger because of inadequate irrigation. However, because they are unable to catch fish, hundreds of fishermen's families in three upazilas have lost their jobs.
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The local land robbers are being used as landless laborers to cultivate bonobo paddy across the broad riverbed. As a result, one of the reservoirs for paddy farming is the Titas River, which dried up near Muradnagar Upazila.
Sea contact has long since been discontinued due to the transient navigability issue of the Titas River. The Titas has progressively filled over time due to pollution, encroachment, and yearly silt buildup; as a result, it is now a dead river.
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On the surface, it is evident that around 12 km have dried up between the mouth of the Gomti in Daskandi Bazaar in Titas upazila in the southern half and the northern section of the Titas River, below the Muradnagar-Homna connection bridge.
The river has been divided into sections spanning around 5 kilometers. The local farmers are having difficulties since there is not enough irrigation water, just as the fisherman have lost their jobs as a result of the river's low water level.
The rice seed bed and the rice planting in the riverbed are seen in the upper portion of the river. The river appears to be nonexistent. Fish and other water creatures are vanishing as a result.
The inhabitants who lived on the beach of Titas previously lived in the sound of the launch and the voices of the sailors on the large sailing boats, according to fishermen who fish the Titas River. It now takes on a distinct shape.
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By launching, people from the upazilas of Bancharampur, Dhaka, Narayanganj, Narsingdi, Muradnagar, Homna, Brahmanbaria, and Nabinagar used to transport goods back and forth.
Back then, the only kind of transportation was the launch. After the launch ends, locals utilize motorized boats. There are worries that the Titas River may eventually slowly shut as a result of its swelling up. Many individuals in the local correctional community have lost their jobs as a result of switching to other occupations to survive.
In addition, as the river's water has dried up, fishers are unable to catch fish there. The settlements around the rivers' fishermen are likewise in terrible shape. The local populace insists that this river's excavation happen immediately.
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"There is not much water in rivers, canals, and lakes right now," stated Mosammat Najma Akhtar, the Fisheries Officer (AD) for Muradnagar Upazila. It's not possible to catch fish. Nowadays, fishermen are switching to other careers. Fish farming in ponds provides a life for some people. As a result, fish harvesting is discontinued in areas of open water.
Fishermen's quality of life is being compromised. The river's renovation has grown in importance. The families of thousands of fishermen will profit from it if it is mined.
The residents of the village of Ramchandrapur, according to farmer Chalim Uddin, are in desperate need of water for domestic chores, irrigation, and bathing.
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According to Upazila Agriculture Officer Pavel Khan Pappu, this upazila grows three different kinds of paddy all year round. Of them, 17 thousand 750 hectares are in Boro, 7 thousand 500 hectares are in Aush, and 5 thousand 990 hectares are in Ruppo Aman. Thirteen thousand, 240 hectares of land are under agricultural cultivation.
Among these, the absence of irrigation infrastructure has left over 2,500 hectares of land uncultivated in the upazilas of Sadar, Ramchandrapur North, and Srikail.
However, there was a period when the Titas River's water supplied the local farmers' requirements.
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In this context, the issue has come to our knowledge, according to Khan Mohammad Waliuzzaman, Executive Engineer of the Cumilla Water Development Board.
To what extent is the river's dredging necessary?
A group has been assembled to look into the situation and provide a report. Following receipt of the report, the next river excavation project will be coordinated.
News Source: Benglar Chokh.
End// voice7news.tv
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