Sand stockyards trigger flooding crisis for residents at Daulatdia ferry terminal

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At least 50 families living near the Daulatdia ferry terminal in Rajbari’s Goalanda upazila are grappling with severe waterlogging, a crisis residents attribute to the unchecked accumulation of sand stockpiles in their neighborhood. The massive piles, which obstruct natural drainage systems, have rendered local homes uninhabitable following recent heavy rainfall.

Tensions boiled over Sunday morning when dozens of affected residents staged a protest, blocking the Daulatdia bypass road for half an hour despite inclement weather. The demonstration brought traffic on the key route connecting the country’s southwestern region to a standstill before local police intervened and successfully negotiated the clearing of the road.

Residents of Sattar Member Para, situated between the bypass and the No. 7 ferry ghat, describe a deteriorating living environment where cooking, sanitation, and access to clean water have become daily struggles. According to long-term inhabitants, natural drainage paths that once channeled rainwater toward nearby lowlands have been blocked by the sand trade for the past two years, leaving neighborhoods submerged year-round.

Community members have pointed to the involvement of local political figures, including an official from the upazila Jatiyatabadi Sramik Dal, in the sand trading operations. They allege that the process of unloading sand from bulkheads via pipelines releases large volumes of water that have nowhere to drain, worsening the flooding.

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Sarwar Molla, the Sramik Dal leader named in the allegations, denied that the sand business is the primary cause of the flooding. He argued that water from the bulkheads is typically managed through drainage pumps and insisted that the current crisis is a result of excessive rainfall rather than the sand stockpiles themselves.

Following the public outcry, Goalanda Upazila Executive Officer (UNO) Sathi Das visited the site on Sunday afternoon to assess the damage. She confirmed that local authorities have ordered the temporary suspension of sand trading activities at the site and have directed the traders to implement immediate measures to restore water drainage and alleviate the suffering of the displaced families.