Siltation has clogged 18 sluice gates on three rivers -- Harihar, Aparbhadra and Buribhadra -- along a stretch of 30 kilometres in Keshabpur upazila of Jashore.

As such, the areas are at risk of flooding and waterlogging in monsoon if the sluice gates cannot drain away rainwater, said officials of Bangladesh Water Development Board in Jashore.

Earlier, around 18km stretch of Aparbhadra river completely dried up due to lack of water flow caused by siltation.

A proposal to excavate the three rivers has been included in the amendment project for Kapotaksha river and submitted to the ministry concerned as well as BWDB. However, it has not been approved yet and no funding has yet been received, said officials.

As a result, the situation is only worsening over time.

In the 1980s, the BWDB built dams on a number of rivers in the region in the name of polder construction under coastal embankment projects, thereby separating the rivers from the tidal floodplains and canals connected to those.

As a result, siltation started accumulating in the riverbeds as the dams prevented tidal water from entering the rivers and washing away silt. Kapotaksha, Harihar, Aparbhadra and Srihari became the most affected rivers.

Consequently, in 2017, severe floods inundated Keshabpur upazila town and adjoining areas along the rivers.

Later in 2019, BWDB took a Tk 50 crore project to dig Harihar, Buribhadra and Aparbhadra rivers to prevent floods.

The rivers were dug, but their width reduced. Besides, the water levels did not return to expected level, and the flow did not restore to normalcy. As a result, the waterlogging problems returned within two years after the excavation while siltation remained a persistent problem.

At present, the rivers resemble narrow canals on their deathbed.

"We are likely to suffer due to flooding and waterlogging this monsoon and the problems will only worsen in future unless the rivers are excavated promptly, and properly," said Azizur Rahman, a resident of Mangalkot village in the upazila.

Abubakar Siddique, convenor of Keshabpur upazila unit of Bhabadah Water Drainage Committee, said, "The rivers must be dug before the onset of next monsoon to prevent flooding across a vast area in Keshabpur and neighbouring upazilas."

"The existing situation has already affected the region's agriculture adversely," he added.

Contacted, Suman Sikdar, sub-divisional engineer of BWDB in Jashore, said if the project proposal for dredging the rivers is accepted, the work will begin promptly upon receiving funding.