Mashiur Rahman Selim, Comilla South

Defying environmental and waterbody conservation laws, syndicates of dredgers and sand traders are rampantly filling agricultural lands, ponds, canals, ditches, and low-lying areas across Laksham, Lalmai, Nangalkot, and Manoharganj upazilas, as well as municipal areas in southern Cumilla.

According to local sources, an unbridled wave of dredging and sand trading has put thousands of acres of arable land at severe ecological risk. Indiscriminate sand extraction using dredging machines and the subsequent filling of agricultural plots and water bodies have accelerated significantly. Locals allege that various local public representatives and political musclemen have been profiting from these illegal operations under the patronage of influential quarters, triggering widespread environmental degradation and raising the risk of structural damage to nearby homesteads.

Despite sporadic mobile court drives by local administrations that have resulted in financial fines, tractor seizures, and regular police cases in several areas, the brazen activities of the sand syndicates show no signs of stopping. Critics allege that local union parishad secretaries and land office officials are looking the other way while illicit activities continue unchecked.

Multiple local sources revealed that unabated sand extraction using dredgers in municipal towns and upazila interiors has drastically reduced the availability of canals, ponds, waterbodies, ditches, and low-lying arable lands. In blatant violation of environmental laws, sand is being dredged from various points and transported via mini-trucks to fill ponds, dighis, canals, and crop lands. With limited sustained administrative countermeasures in sight, the regional environment is steadily inching toward a crisis, leaving homes vulnerable to erosion and collapse.

Local administration officials in the southern upazilas stated that violators of environmental and waterbody laws are facing legal consequences. While acknowledging occasional political pressures, they maintained that legal actions are taken upon receiving written complaints following prompt investigations.

Meanwhile, regional environmental groups argue that weak local government frameworks and a lack of proactive steps by competent authorities are emboldening land grabbers.

. Environmentalists warn that if the unbridled filling of ponds, dighis, and agricultural lands across the region continues, it will cause severe ecological disruption and lead to acute waterlogging during the monsoon season. Several legal proceedings initiated by the Department of Environment concerning illegal land-filling are currently pending.