Due to erosion, the mighty Jamuna and the Bangali rivers are coming closer at Titporal and Debdanga points in Shariakandi upazila in Bogra.

They are only 420 metres away at Debdanga and 425 metres at Titparel, the Water Development Board (WDB) Chief Engineer told this correspondent during a recent visit to the area. If protection measures are not taken immediately, they may merge any time, creating a disaster, he said.

The ECNEC (Executive Committee of National Economic Council) met on November 5 and 6 and on December 22 this year but did not approve any funds for the project.

Khaleda Zia while addressing a big public meeting at Shariakandi Degree College ground during the election campaign in 2001 had said "permanent steps" would be taken to prevent merger of the rivers.

After assuming power, she passed orders to take steps. Some people this correspondent talked to said they had become overwhelmed with joy when the Prime Minister at a meeting at the Ministry of Water Resources on August 13 this year gave orders for taking steps for preventing the merger.

On October 16, the project was approved at a pre-ECNEC meeting of the Planning Commission and sent to the ECNEC meeting with recommendations for immediate implementation.

The Chief Engineer of WDB's North-Western Zone, Rajshahi, floated a pre-qualification tender (Notice No. 01/2003-2004) on October 23.

At the November 5 ECNEC meeting, 13 big projects worth Tk 3027 crore were approved. But the rivers merger prevention project was not included in the agenda.

The December 6 ECNEC meeting approved projects involving Tk 475 crore to implement a project to develop Char (shoal) lands in three northern districts. But this project was not discussed.

The people of Shariakandi and Dhunut upazilas became frustrated when news came to them through a national daily that the ECNEC did not approve the project, they said.

It may be mentioned here that in 1998, two 'hard points' were constructed at Shariakandi and Mathurapara at a cost of Tk 745.18 crore.

According to the Ministry of Water Resources, another six 'hard points' were scheduled to be constructed at a cost of Tk 560.00 crore on the right bank of Jamuna to protect its merger with Bangali river. A pre-ECNEC meeting in 1995 approved construction of six 'hard points'.

International consultant Sir William Halcrow and Partners Ltd. (UK) had suggested construction of 27 'hard points' at the right bank of the Jamuna. Ten 'hard points', should be built on emergency basis, it had suggested.

The mighty Jamuna has devoured about two lakh acres of land along with infrastructures, rendering scores of people landless and homeless.

Water resources experts say merger of the two rivers will be catastrophic for the entire region, which may affect the Jamuna Multipurpose Bridge also. Approach road on the western side of the bridge may be disconnected from the mainland in flood season. The flood control embankment at the downstream will be washed away by flood water.

About 25 lakh people of this vast area will be affected and crops on about two lakh hectars submerged. A total of 135km pucca roads, 120km kutcha roads, 1400 km village roads, 40 to 70 bridges and culverts, 0.5km rail roads and semi-industrial zones will be affected, they said.

Local people also claimed that BNP Senior Joint Secretary General Tareque Rahman while visiting flood affected areas of Shariakandi in the last wet season also assured them that work on the merger protection project would be started in next dry season.

Talking to this correspondent, Kazi Rafiqul Islam MP said commitment of the Prime Minister should be honoured and implemented without any fail for survival of the people of the two upazilas.