Photo: BSS

KHULNA, March 31, 2026 (BSS) – Speakers at a press conference here today demanded immediate dredging of rivers and implementation of the Tidal River Management (TRM) system to alleviate the suffering of coastal people.

The demand was raised by leaders of Uttaran, a non-government organisation, and the Water Committee, a citizens’ platform, at the Khulna Press Club auditorium.

Speaking on behalf of local residents, the organisers urged the authorities to take prompt initiatives to implement TRM in the concerned basins in line with the Bangladesh Delta Plan 2100.

They also called for ensuring fair and easy compensation for residents of TRM-designated beels and guaranteeing the participation of local communities and stakeholders in all related activities.

In a written statement, former principal and President of the Central Water Committee Abdul Matleb Sardar said the primary cause of waterlogging is sedimentation that has gradually filled up rivers over time.

The statement further noted that excessive sedimentation is causing many coastal rivers to die. Rivers such as Teka-Mukteshwari, Upper Bhadra, Buri Bhadra, Harihar, Shibsa and Kholpetua, among others, are rapidly losing navigability.

About 6 million people in the greater Jashore-Khulna-Satkhira region are suffering from severe waterlogging—a long-standing problem that has intensified over the past 35 to 40 years, speakers said at the conference.

Among others present at the press conference were Water Committee leaders Abdul Matleb Sardar, Md Rezaul Karim, Swapan Sheikh, Zillur Rahman and Sheikh Mosharraf Hossain.