In Atrai upazila of Naogaon, the Atrai River has reportedly dried up due to the unplanned construction of sluice gates, causing severe water shortages across vast agricultural lands. The crisis has led to the disappearance of native fish species and left many fishermen unemployed. The problem stems from the 1980s, when a single-gate sluice was built on the wide Atrai River near the upazila complex, while a ten-gate sluice was constructed on a narrow canal at Kashiyabari, about two kilometers away. Residents have questioned the planning behind these decisions.

Local farmers from several villages, including Parkasunda, Narikelbari, and Khajura, said they have suffered for years from water scarcity that hampers crop production. The president of the local fishermen’s cooperative, Profulla Chandra Hawlader, stated that hundreds of fishing families have lost their livelihoods and now live in hardship. When contacted, Naogaon Water Development Board’s executive engineer Asif Ahmed said the sluice gates were built long before his tenure and promised to look into the matter.

The drying of the river has affected nearly 30 kilometers of its course, impacting numerous villages and threatening the region’s agricultural and ecological balance.