87% of Haor wetlands in Bangladesh lost in 3 decades, study says amid floods

There were nearly 30,350 square kilometers of wetland in Bangladesh's 373 Haors in 1988, but by 2020, there are only 406 square kilometers left, according to the findings of a study that have come amid intense flooding in the region.

President Hamid inaugurated the construction of the all-weather road in Haor on Apr 21, 2016. Photo: Mostafigur Rahman

The Department of Roads and Highways constructed the nearly 30-kilometre-long road at the cost of Tk 8.74 billion. Photo: Mostafigur Rahman

On the other hand, the infrastructure in the Haor region has grown from over 1,030 square kilometers in 1988 to 3,872 square kilometers by 2020, the study said.

Presenting the study at the National Press Club on Friday, Professor Dr Adil Mohammed Khan, executive director of BUET’s Institute for Planning and Development, said the infrastructure growth and vanishing wetland are equally to blame for flash floods. Two students of Bangladesh University of Engineering and Technology, Injamumul Haque Refat and Maria Mehrin, conducted the study on land cover Changes in the Haors.

“The wetlands were created naturally to contain water during. After the monsoon, the Haors dry up and transform into enormous green meadows in the winter. Now water is unable to flow normally and increases the risk of flood as we are losing the wetlands,” Prof Adil said.

“Many of us claim that the construction of new roads is to blame for the floods in Sylhet-Sunamganj. An untrue claim made by another group of people is that this calamity was entirely caused by an excessive amount of rain whereas, the less wetland area is the main reason.”

According to him, unplanned development has been occurring throughout Bangladesh's Haor region and was most severe between 2006 and 2013, when about 28% of the wetland area was converted.

Planner Mohammad Ariful Islam, director of the institute, said the government should discuss with experts thoroughly before taking any project in the Haor areas. “Otherwise, we will face more disasters.”

From 1988 to 2006, the Haor area lost over 40 percent of its original size due to the wetland's alarmingly declining trend of change. By 2020, it has lost around 87 percent of its area. The urban built-up area grew by almost 2.20 percent by 2006 and 3.85 percent of the wetland’s original size was absorbed by other land coverings, according to the study.

There are a total of 373 Haors in seven districts of Bangladesh, covering an area of 858,460 hectares, according to 2016 data from the water resources ministry.