Rampant soil plundering in night hits agricultural land in Laksam Pourashava
Mashiur Rahman Selim , Cumilla South
In a blatant disregard for environmental and waterbody protection laws, agricultural lands, rivers, canals, ponds, and other water bodies across Laksam Pourashava and its eight unions in Cumilla’s southern region are being indiscriminately filled with soil and sand in night time.
This rampant activity, evading the local administration’s oversight, is raising serious concerns about environmental degradation, with homes collapsing and thousands of acres of arable farmland at risk. The unchecked use of excavators and tractors has turned Laksam into a hub of environmental destruction, threatening the region’s ecological balance.
Multiple local sources report that every night, excavators and tractors are deployed across the pourashava and various parts of the upazila to extract soil from agricultural lands, filling up canals, ponds, ditches, and low-lying areas. This has led to a significant reduction in water bodies and cultivable farmland. Despite occasional seizures of equipment and legal actions, the perpetrators, backed by influential local figures and political muscle, continue their operations unabated. Allegations have surfaced of local union parishad secretaries and land officials profiting from this illicit trade, further emboldening the culprits.
The plundering intensifies after nightfall, with agricultural lands being systematically stripped of soil to fill water bodies and lowlands. Local influential groups, in collusion with a section of self-interested individuals, are orchestrating this environmental havoc, jeopardling fears of a looming ecological crisis. The unregulated extraction of sand using dredging machines and the use of excavators to dig up farmland have been linked to local representatives and powerful political figures, who are accused of engaging in corrupt practices to facilitate this destruction.
Despite claims from upazila administration sources that no leniency is shown to violators of environmental and waterbody laws, they acknowledge facing political pressure in some cases. They assert that legal action is taken promptly upon receiving written complaints, following thorough investigations. However, environmentalists point out that the weak local governance structure and lack of decisive action from relevant authorities have emboldened land grabbers. If the filling of ponds, ditches, and agricultural lands continues unchecked across Laksam upazila and its two pourashavas, the region’s environment faces an imminent crisis, with even minimal rainfall likely to cause widespread waterlogging.
The Department of Environment has initiated several legal cases in response to complaints about the filling of water bodies, with multiple cases currently under process. Meanwhile, a member of the syndicate operating dredgers and excavators brazenly admitted to managing local administration and influential figures to sustain their operations, dismissing the impact of media coverage. “You journalists can write all you want, but it won’t affect us,” the member claimed.
The ongoing environmental destruction in Laksam underscores the urgent need for stricter enforcement of laws and coordinated efforts to protect the region’s agricultural lands and water bodies before irreversible damage is done.
Multiple local sources report that every night, excavators and tractors are deployed across the pourashava and various parts of the upazila to extract soil from agricultural lands, filling up canals, ponds, ditches, and low-lying areas. This has led to a significant reduction in water bodies and cultivable farmland. Despite occasional seizures of equipment and legal actions, the perpetrators, backed by influential local figures and political muscle, continue their operations unabated. Allegations have surfaced of local union parishad secretaries and land officials profiting from this illicit trade, further emboldening the culprits.
The plundering intensifies after nightfall, with agricultural lands being systematically stripped of soil to fill water bodies and lowlands. Local influential groups, in collusion with a section of self-interested individuals, are orchestrating this environmental havoc, jeopardling fears of a looming ecological crisis. The unregulated extraction of sand using dredging machines and the use of excavators to dig up farmland have been linked to local representatives and powerful political figures, who are accused of engaging in corrupt practices to facilitate this destruction.
Despite claims from upazila administration sources that no leniency is shown to violators of environmental and waterbody laws, they acknowledge facing political pressure in some cases. They assert that legal action is taken promptly upon receiving written complaints, following thorough investigations. However, environmentalists point out that the weak local governance structure and lack of decisive action from relevant authorities have emboldened land grabbers. If the filling of ponds, ditches, and agricultural lands continues unchecked across Laksam upazila and its two pourashavas, the region’s environment faces an imminent crisis, with even minimal rainfall likely to cause widespread waterlogging.
The Department of Environment has initiated several legal cases in response to complaints about the filling of water bodies, with multiple cases currently under process. Meanwhile, a member of the syndicate operating dredgers and excavators brazenly admitted to managing local administration and influential figures to sustain their operations, dismissing the impact of media coverage. “You journalists can write all you want, but it won’t affect us,” the member claimed.
The ongoing environmental destruction in Laksam underscores the urgent need for stricter enforcement of laws and coordinated efforts to protect the region’s agricultural lands and water bodies before irreversible damage is done.
