The Crucial Role of Sediment Excavation in Safeguarding Haor Area Ecosystems of Bangladesh

Northeastern Bangladesh's haor landscape is a wetland habitat of shallow depressions that experience significant variations in water inundation throughout the monsoon and dry seasons. Rivers originating in the nearby Shillong Plateau provide sediment that can harm these fertile agricultural fields. These sediments, primarily sand, reduce the water-holding capacity of the haors, leading to earlier and more severe flash floods. Water is now spreading to adjacent agricultural land as the haor area changes. The haor community faces food shortages, starvation, floods, financial losses, and other hardships due to these flash floods. Failure of the Boro Crop directly affects the country's GDP, as 80 percent of the crop is harvested from these regions. Adaptive and preventive measures have been taken, but crops cannot be protected against untimely flash floods because rice can only be harvested after a certain period. Sedimentation is gradually changing the ecosystem and causing adverse effects such as reduced fertility and declining fish populations. Water quality is degrading to a level where locals are reluctant to use it. Excavation practices can improve haor conditions by reducing the adverse effects of sedimentation. Excavation can improve water quality, increase fertility, and delay flash floods by reducing surface runoff. Periodic excavation every 7–10 years can protect the ecosystem and reduce stress on wetland communities. Artificial embankments and vegetation can protect recovered land. These measures can reduce flood susceptibility, restore the haor ecosystem, and improve the economy of the haor regions.