The traditional Polo Bawa festival was held in Daduria beel, spanning Chatul and Shekhar unions of Boalmari upazila in Faridpur, from 6am to 9.30am on Monday (26 October). Hundreds of people from surrounding villages waded in with polo bamboo traps, husa and nets, and visitors came from far away to watch. For all the festival mood, the catch was much smaller than expected, Banglanews reports.
People from Chatul, Dhulpukuria, Durgapur, Teljuri, Nidhipur, Poail, Babur Bazar, Shekhar, Rajapur, Kalaran, Madhyergati, Chholna, Gunbaha, Kushadanga, Loknath, Andharkotha and other villages took part. One organiser, Imran Sheikh of Kushadanga, said the aim was to keep old memories alive and to introduce the young to the beels, native fish and rural culture.
The shortage of fish left many disappointed. Mikail of Gunbaha said he came with polo and husa to keep up a tradition of his father's and grandfather's time but did not catch what he hoped; the widespread use of China duari nets, he said, is driving native fish towards extinction. Azizul Fakir, back at Daduria beel from Alfadanga after about 15 years, also left empty-handed and also blamed the unplanned use of these nets.
Other fishers said China duari nets, ponds dug haphazardly inside the beel and heavy use of chemical fertiliser and pesticide on farmland have sharply cut the numbers of native fish species. People involved say a scientific survey is needed to learn the real state of native fish in Daduria beel and other local waters.
Pabitra Kumar Das, who holds additional charge as Boalmari upazila fisheries officer, said his office has no specific survey of the native fish crisis. Controlling fine-mesh nets is essential to protect breeding and fry, he said, but a staff shortage makes regular drives difficult.
Locals want the administration to protect native fish breeding grounds, strictly control harmful nets and keep the beel in its natural state, with regular surveys and monitoring.
Reported by Banglanews's district correspondent in Faridpur.
Photo: Polo Bawa fishing (file), Sohelchy07 / Wikimedia Commons (CC BY 4.0)
Source: Banglanews24
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