Snails, clams being collected from Narail wetlands indiscriminately

BENAPOLE, Oct 08: Snails and clams are being collected indiscriminately from canals, wetlands, and waterbodies across Narail district, ignoring restrictions imposed by the Department of Environment (DoE).

The snails and clams gathered are being supplied to shrimp enclosures in Narail and other districts of the southern region. According to sources, around 40 waterbodies in the district are being exploited every day for snail collection.

A spot visit and locals' accounts revealed that people in Sadar upazila's Nakshi, Auria, Barirdanga, Sitarampur, Tularampur, Muliya, Bamanhat, Maijpara, Shahabad, Borashula, Nalamara, Kararbil, Fedi, Ratdanga, Kamalapur, Kalirdob, Harivanga Gobra, Mirzapur, Agdia and Basgram; Lohagara upazila's Jhuktia, Giletla, Erenda, Brammondanga, Noldi, Mithapur, Lahuaria, Kalna, Itna, Batashi, Digholia, Kumri and Talbaria; and Kalia upazila's Chachuri, Ichamati, Bendar Char, Hamidpur, Kulshur, Chadarchar and Kolabaria routinely collect snails from beels and wetlands using country boats and palm-log rafts.

The collected snails are then processed at specific spots where locals remove the flesh and tissue, which traders purchase at Tk25 per kilogram.

Ramla Bala, a resident of Brammondanga village under Lohagara upazila, said, "Like many others in my village. I go to Ichamati beel early in the morning with a palm-log raft to collect snails. By noon, I return home and separate the meat from the shells. Traders buy them for Tk 25 a kg. On average, I earn Tk 350 to Tk 450 a day, which keeps my family afloat."

Similarly, Khushi Rani Malo from Chachuri village of Kalia upazila said, "Before dawn, I set out for the beel with my raft. I return around midday with snails and clams, which I clean and sell to traders. We also sell the shells to other buyers, who, I heard, burn them to make lime. From both meat and shells, I can make Tk300-400 daily."

Environmentalists warn that the uncontrolled collection poses a grave threat to biodiversity.

Former acting principal of Narail Government Victoria College and head of its biology department, Prof Barun Majumder, said, "Snails and clams survive on floating aquatic plants in fresh waterbodies. They play an important role in forming sandy beds and maintaining ecological balance. Their shells also help retain soil moisture during dry seasons. Harvesting of the creatures must be stopped immediately."

District fisheries officer Md Badrul Alam said, "The Department of Environment has prohibited snail and clam harvesting to protect wetland biodiversity. Still, some shrimp farmers and traders continue the practice. We are trying to discourage them from using snails for shrimp farming."

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