PANCHAGARH — The historic Patheraj river of Boda upazila in Panchagarh — once dug under the canal excavation program of late president Ziaur Rahman and revived to brimming life — has been reduced to a dead channel.
After the canal-digging program of that era, the Patheraj teemed with life, brimmed with fish and gave local farmers their only source of water for dry-season irrigation.
Locals say the late president Ziaur Rahman flew by helicopter to Boda upazila around 1980 as part of the historic river and canal excavation drive. Standing shoulder-to-shoulder with ordinary people, he opened the work by lifting soil from the Patheraj river bed with a spade. Older eyewitnesses become emotional recalling the scene. After excavation, residents bathed, washed clothes and did household chores with the river’s water. Farmers used it to irrigate crops. The Patheraj was not merely a stream — it was part of Boda upazila’s history, heritage and livelihood. For decades, the river held strong flow in both monsoon and dry seasons. It played a key role in the lives of those living along it.
Today, that very river has become a dead channel. Silting and water loss have put the river’s existence in jeopardy. Over time, soil accumulation, sedimentation and other factors have blocked the natural flow. There is no water even ankle-deep in most places now. In some stretches, the bed is completely dry. Vast paddy fields have sprouted across the riverbed. Farmers have been hit hardest. Earlier they used river water for dry-season irrigation; now they depend on deep tube wells, multiplying their production costs. Many native species of fish have disappeared as breeding grounds vanished.
Older residents said the river is tied to the memory of late president Ziaur Rahman. At the time, the special program for river and canal excavation gave priority to this river, bringing it to Ziaur Rahman’s attention. As a result, the Patheraj began flowing again. Residents see its revival as not only an environmental matter but a historical duty. With the newly elected local member of parliament Farhad Hossain Azad taking on the state minister for water resources portfolio, young and old in the area have placed their hopes in him. They hope that under Azad’s stewardship, the son of late president Ziaur Rahman, Prime Minister Tareque Rahman, will take steps to re-excavate the Patheraj canal — and that the memory-laden river will be brought back to life.
Former Boda municipality councilor Shahjahan Ali said, “This is a place laden with the memory of martyred president Ziaur Rahman. Around 1980, he opened the canal excavation here. With long neglect, the canal has filled in. Where there should have been water and fish, paddy is now grown. I respectfully request the honorable state minister for water resources, Mr. Farhad Hossain Azad, that the Patheraj canal be re-excavated through his initiative — so we can say with full hearts that here, martyred president Ziaur Rahman opened the canal excavation.”
বাংলায় মূল প্রতিবেদন পড়ুন · Read the original Bengali report