Kazal Baran Das, Patuakhali
The salinity of water in Patuakhali's Payra river has increased about seven times in last one year. Experts fear, if immediate research is not conducted in this regard the salinity level might become more severe in the next dry season.
Patuakhali Water Development Board sources informed that the salinity in the rivers of the Patuakhali region has amplified, breaking the record of the past 10 years. The salinity of Payra river water has been gradually increasing since March.
The Water Development Board collects water samples from Lohalia, Mirzaganj and Galachipa areas of Patuakhali district and determines the salinity level, added the sources.
According to them, last year the salinity level in the water of Payra river was 696 mg/litre whereas, this year it has increased to 4,232 mg/litre.
Tajul Islam, Deputy Assistant Engineer in the Hydrological Department of the Water Development Board said, on April 12 last the salinity level rose to 4,232 mg/litre during high tide and 2,776 mg/litre during low tide, which was the highest till now.
One year ago, on 23 April in 2020, the highest level of salinity in the river water stood only at 696 mg/liter while the lowest level stood at only 660 mg/litre, he added.
Patuakhali is the last southern district of Bangladesh near the Bay of Bengal. Especially Kalapara, Rangabali and Galachipa areas of the district are very close to the sea.
In these areas, the water normally contains a certain amount of salinity. However, due to high salt levels this year, local people are unable to use the river and canal water.
Most of the people living near the banks of Lohalia, Laukathi and Payra rivers adjacent to Patuakhali district town use the river water for daily cooking and other purposes. Currently none of them can use the river water for any purpose.
Nayan Mistry, a resident of Payra river-bank, said that while taking a bath in the river, the river water feels as salty as the seawater.
Meanwhile, diarrhea in Patuakhali has taken the form of an epidemic with the excess salinity in the water. The highest number of diarrhea cases has been reported in Mirzaganj upazila, which is surrounded by the Payra river.
In one month 5,263 people were infected in the district out of which 990 were from Mirzaganj. Patuakhali Civil Surgeon said Dr Jahangir Alam Shipon said a government IEDCR delegation found the cholera virus in the stools of two of the six patients admitted to the hospital in Mirzaganj Upazila.
They have collected water samples from 4 spots for human consumption. Excess salt in the water destroys the purity of the water. Civil surgeons believe that salinity due to drought and bacterial infections in water are one of the reasons for the increase in diarrhea. AKM Mohiuddin, Deputy Director of the Department of Agricultural Extension (DAE), said salinity had also occurred in the soil due to the increase in salt in the river water. Crops are also being destroyed in many places irrigated on agricultural land with the saline water of the river. This year, high amount of salinity was detected in 48,000 hectares or 20 per cent of the land in the district. Meanwhile, extreme level of salinity was detected in 24,000 hectares or 10 per cent of the land in the district, he added.
Due to the increase in salinity of the soil, the yield of the crop is being disrupted which is a huge threat to public health.
The District Fisheries Resources Officer said that now the salinity of the water is decreasing due to the rains. Among the fisheries resources, native freshwater species of fishes are now holding eggs.
The fish eggs are to be released from Bengali month Baishakh to 4 months. There is a huge risk of major damage to the fish if the eggs are released in salt water, he added.
Md Fayez Ahmed, Executive Engineer of Patuakhali Public Health Engineering Department, said that the salinity of rivers, canals, ponds and reservoirs in Patuakhali increased due to the fact that the water level of the river was lower than the sea level due to drought. Immediate higher research is now needed to resolve this issue, he said.
