MADHYANAGAR, SUNAMGANJ, Dec 30: Unplanned soil cutting from natural kanda (elevated patches of land in haors) is putting the environment and biodiversity of Sunamganj's wetlands at risk.
Farmers and locals say soil from kandas is being used to build crop-protection embankments, leaving once lush areas scarred by excavators.
In the name of saving crops, the environment and biodiversity of the haor are being endangered. Bulldozers and excavators are turning once lush kandas into ditches and pits.
Unplanned activities are destroying the dense vegetation and wildlife habitats that kandas once supported. Farmers and environmentalists warn that cutting kandas will not only devastate biodiversity but also create long-term problems for haor communities. Conscious citizens are urging immediate attention to planned and sustainable embankment construction.
A visit to several haor areas in Madhyanagar revealed project implementation committee (PIC) workers cutting kandas to dump soil on embankments. Engine-driven excavators are tearing through nature, leaving scars across the landscape. Areas that were once grazing fields have now become waterlogged ditches. Farmers fear that if this continues, agriculture will face obstacles and biodiversity will suffer irreparable damage.
Local farmers describe kandas as the lifeline of the haor. Trees such as hijol and koroch grow naturally on these patches, providing shelter for birds and wildlife. Farmers use kandas for threshing, drying paddy and straw, and grazing cattle. Despite their multifunctional importance, kandas are being destroyed instead of protected.
Every year, soil from poorly constructed embankments washes into the haor, reducing water retention capacity. Even light rainfall now causes water levels to rise dangerously. Farmers and residents demand sustainable embankments to protect both crops and the ecosystem.
Dwijendra Talukder, a farmer from Shaldigha haor said, "There used to be countless kandas in our haor. Over the past seven to eight years, they have been cut down for embankment soil. This is destroying biodiversity and creating risks for both rivers and haors. If kandas disappear, haor residents will face another battle for survival."
Amanullah, a farmer from Bainchapra haor added, "Farmers and workers rest under hijol and koroch trees on kandas. Cattle graze there, and birds and wildlife find safe habitats. These animals and birds maintain ecological balance. But cutting kandas is wiping out forests and shrubs, harming the haor's environment and life it. Alternative methods of embankment construction must be adopted."
Md. Mamun Hawlader, Executive Engineer of the Sunamganj Water Development Board, acknowledged the crisis: "To save crops, embankments are necessary. But soil shortages are worsening. We are considering permanent embankments using CC blocks, which will eliminate the need to cut kandas."
Bimal Chandra Som, Additional Director of the Department of Agricultural Extension, Sylhet region, said, "Sunamganj has 2,500 to 3,000 hectares of kanda land. Forest cover has declined, though some kandas still have hijol and koroch groves. Farmers use kandas for seedbeds and grazing. If kandas continue to be cut, soil shortages will emerge within a decade. We are proposing alternatives such as sluice gates or rubber dams instead of cutting kandas."
The warnings are clear: without urgent action, the destruction of kandas will undermine both agriculture and biodiversity in Sunamganj's haors, leaving communities vulnerable to ecological and economic crises.