Once bustling with water during the monsoon, the Gazikhali River in Saturia Upazila of Manikganj was a lifeline for local communities. Large boats and trawlers used to navigate its waters, strong currents flowed through the river, and fishermen earned their livelihoods from its abundant fish stocks.
But despite spending millions of taka on its re-excavation, the river has again turned almost waterless at the beginning of the rainy season. Much of the river is now covered with water hyacinth, while only patches of stagnant rainwater remain in some areas. The situation has raised questions over the effectiveness of the dredging project and the use of public funds.
Standing on the dry riverbed, local resident Abdul Majid recalled the river’s past glory.
“Since the river was excavated, water has not returned. Earlier, trawlers and large boats used to operate here. The river remained full of water and we caught plenty of fish. But even after dredging, there has been no improvement,” he said.
A visit to the area found that most of the nearly 15-kilometre stretch from Gopalpur to Saturia Bazar has dried up. A similar situation exists from Saturia towards Barabaria in Dhamrai. In places where some water remains, dense layers of water hyacinth have blocked the flow, leaving the river virtually stagnant.
The Gazikhali River originates from the Dhaleshwari River in Gopalpur area of Manikganj and later joins the Bangshi River through Dhamrai. Once, water from the Dhaleshwari revived the river during the monsoon, supporting agriculture, fishing and the livelihoods of thousands of people.
Locals said Saturia Bazar itself developed more than a century ago around the river. Traders from different parts of the country would travel by waterways to conduct business there. However, encroachment, siltation and poor management have pushed the river towards an existential crisis.
According to the Water Development Board, the government undertook a re-excavation project for the 45-kilometre Gazikhali River under the Small Rivers, Canals and Water Bodies Re-excavation Programme in the 2020–21 fiscal year. The project covered parts of Saturia, Singair, Dhamrai and Manikganj Sadar, with an estimated cost of around Tk40 crore. Of this amount, nearly Tk16 crore was spent in Saturia alone in two phases.
Under the project plan, the river was supposed to be excavated to a depth of two metres, with a bottom width of 26 metres and an upper width of 50–60 metres depending on the location.
However, locals alleged that the work was not carried out according to the plan and that irregularities during excavation prevented the river from regaining its navigability.
Fisherman Jyotin Rajbangshi from Dargram area said the river once supported hundreds of fishing families.
“There used to be plenty of water and fish. Hundreds of fishermen depended on this river for their livelihood. Now there is no water and no fish. Many have been forced to change their profession,” he said.
Zakir Hossain of Shekhrinagar village said the river would once fill up with fresh monsoon water and even dolphins could occasionally be seen.
“After the excavation, only soil was extracted and sold. The river did not benefit,” he alleged.
However, Manikganj Water Development Board Executive Engineer Muhammad Akhtaruzzaman declined to comment directly on allegations of irregularities.
“I joined after the re-excavation work was completed. The main reason water is not entering the river now is that the source point of the Dhaleshwari at Gopalpur has become filled with silt from the Jamuna River,” he said.
He added that restoring the water flow would be possible if the river’s source point was re-excavated.
With the river continuing to dry up despite a costly dredging project, residents are now demanding a fresh initiative to restore Gazikhali’s natural flow and protect the livelihoods that once depended on it.
