Due to accumulation of silt, emergence of shoals and encroachment, once a mighty river Boral which flowed through labyrinthine ways of Rajshahi, Pabna and Natore districts, is now only a mute reminder of a dry, infertile, barren canal.
The drying up of Boral is also affecting badly the riverine communication, navigation, trade and commerce, environment as well as irrigation in the region. Though during recent flooding, there was increase of water in the river, now it has turned to a narrow spectre of flow of water.
The river Boral, a tributary of river Padma was once used by thousands of people including businessmen and traders for transportation of merchandise to different destinations by boats, but, the river has been silted up for a long time and most of the riverine areas have been dried up, a huge part of river bed has been encroached by vested quarters and thus having no way to ply boats through there. Even, the irrigation beside the river by using river water is not being possible due to dying up the river.
Due to impact of Farakka barrage, the Padma river has already been dried up and due to construction of a regulator at the confluence of the Boral and the Padma near Charghat, the drying up of the Boral tributary has been further accelerated.
It is learnt, once upon a time trawler and ships used to travel through the river Boral but now, a country boat even could not move through the river because of silt and sharp fall in water levels of the river.
According to sources, the river communication through Boral, which was once an important and easy means of transport covering Bagha, Charghat upazilas of Rajshahi, Baraigram , Baghatipara upazila of Natore, Chatmohor, Bhangura upazilas of Pabna districts, has remained disrupted due to rapid accumulation of silt on the riverbed and encroachment of the river.
Fish of different species were found abundantly in this river in the past and hundreds of fishermen used to earn their livelihood by fishing in the river. The fishermen are hardly seen in the river now.
Irrigation along the banks of the river is being badly hampered now a day as the flow of water in the river has almost been stopped.
A large number of hats and bazaars situated on the banks of the rivers are now also on the verge of closure due to drying up of the river.
Nazim Uddin, a local journalist at Charghat upazila informed, if smooth river communication through Boral river could be restored, there would be an immense change in socio-economic condition of the people living beside the river. That is why, dredging of the river is necessary to restore the river route for easy communication and ensuring irrigation, he added.
Due to low water flow playing of boats has been stopped at more than 85 Kilometres of river route.
Raton, a trader of Arani Bazzar said if the river Baral is not excavated, local bigwigs would entirely grab the dried river beds and thus the meagre water flow in places through the river might be stopped forever.