Rivers erosion continues destroying crops lands, houses, trees, educational-religious institutions, habitants, important establishments, roads and communication systems and leaving many people destitute across the country.
The government has identified 54 areas risky for riverbank erosion in 22 districts analysing a long-range weather forecast.
Ahead of the monsoon, the authorities concerned had directed the relevant organisation to take measures accordingly.
Many people become homeless and landless as the country experience riverbank erosion every year.
As this is a common disaster event of Bangladesh, the government is preparing the 100-yearlong delta plan for ensuring better management of water resource sector.
But, erosion by the mighty Rivers Padma, Jamuna, Meghna, Brahmaputra, Madhumati and other continued in different places of Shariatpur, Gaibandha and Bogura and Jamalpur districts.
Villagers said many houses, cultivable lands and other important establishments including educational institutions have already gone into the rivers in the last 15 days.
With the onset of monsoon, strong current in the Padma, Jamuna, Meghna, Brahmaputra, Madhumati and other river is causing erosion of the riverbanks, villagers and local administration said.
Besides, some educational institutions are likely to be devoured into river anytime.
In February this year, the minister for water and resources had said the government would work fast ahead of the upcoming monsoon to prevent river erosion across the country.
But, the officials of concerned ministries are not sufficiently physically active at riverbank erosion risky areas, local alleged.
Therefore, the extent of damages caused by riverbank erosion has not reduced yet.
The erosion took a serious turn in the places along the riverside areas in the last weeks.
The erosion swallowed houses, schools, dams, roads, business establishments, mosques, in the last few days while positive initiatives by the authorities concerned were not visible to prevent the erosion.
People living in the banks are in great panic and anxiety as the river might devour their homesteads and agriculture land at any time.
Riverside people across the country are also always passing sleepless night as they fear river erosion can eat up everything and leaves them destitute in a moment.
The mostly erosion vulnerable districts are Bogura, Tangail, Rajbari, Faridpur, Madaripur, Kurigram, Gaibandha, Jamalpur, Sirajganj, Manikganj, Pabna, Bogura, Kushtia, Rajshahi.
Crop lands, embankments and dams, many points of highways, village roads and, habitats, large number of shops, houses, religious institutions, educational institutions, hut, bazar and important establishments including hospitals have already gone into the rivers in the last five decades.
According to Centre for Environmental and Geographic Information Services (CEGIS), a public trust under the ministry of water resources, the mighty rivers Padma and Jamuna have eaten 50,955 hectare of land in the last 22 years.
Around 25,290 hectare of land were devoured in Padma while 25,665 in Jamuna.
So, over five lakh people became destitute, homeless and landless in the last 22 years, the study says.
In Faridpur, over 500 residents of Madhumati river banks in Alphadanga upazila of the district have been passing sleepless nights amid fear of losing homesteads as erosion by the river has taken a serious turn, according to our correspondent and agencies.
Many have been compelled to leave their houses which they inherited from their ancestors.
Besides, many schools, markets, streets, mosques, madrashahs, croplands and houses are at risk being washed away by the river.
Erosion by the Padma and the Arial Kha rivers in the district has also intensified since the beginning of monsoon, leaving many people of the river banks homeless.
Locals said Water Development board is temporarily dropping sand-filled geo bags to stop erosion but that does not solve the problem.
The erosion has worsened with the rise of water levels in the rivers last week.
Same situation was seen on the banks of the Padma and Arial Kha rivers and in Charvadrashan, Sadarpur and Faridpur Sadar upazila.
Partha Pratim Saha, executive engineer of Water Development Board, said, geobags are being dropped in the erosion-hit areas.
The project of permanent dam construction has been approved, he said adding, “We hope we will be able to start the construction of the dam in the next dry season.”
Ali Aksad Jhantu, mayor of Alphadanga municipality said, several hundreds of families have become destitute losing their homes and croplands due to the erosion by the Madhumati river.
More geo bags should be used to protect the areas for now, he added.
In Kurigram, erosion by the Teesta River has taken a serious turn in the district, displacing many families and devouring vast tracts of cropland.
The river has been eroding its banks for the last three months and the erosion has intensified recently in Rajarhat upazila of the district.
Locals said Khitab Khan Government Primary School is at risk of being washed away by the river any time as the river is only 30 to 35 meters away from the school now.
The Teesta river is devouring hundreds of acres of cropland and trees in Khitabkhan, Gatiasham villages of Gharialdanga union and Chatura, Ramhari and Kalirhat villages of Bidyananda union, said locals.
Meanwhile, thousands of houses in five villages of Bidyananda and Gharialdanga unions of the upazila, Kalirhat Bazar, Burirhat Bazar, Kalirhat Government Primary School, KhitabKhan Government Primary School, Char Khitabkhan Government Primary School, Gatiasham Community Clinic and four mosques, two temples, various structures and hundreds of acres of cropland are facing erosion threat.
Abdus Sattar, 80, who lost home due to river erosion in Khitab Khan village, said, "We do not expect relief, we demand the government to implement the Teesta Master Plan to stop the erosion by the river."
Bhavesh Chandra, 70, of the same village, said, "There is no school within 3 or 4 kilometers of this village.
Many boys and girls of this village will stop studying if Khitab Khan school is washed away by the river.”
Local UP member Mamun Mandal said, "Implementing the Teesta Master Plan to prevent erosion is the demand of thousands of people in this area.
He said the education of 300 to 400 students of KhitabKhan Government Primary School will be uncertain if it is washed away by the river.”
Abdullah Al Mamun, executive engineer of Kurigram Water Development Board, said the work of dumping sand bags is going on at some places of Gharialdanga and Bidyananda unions to prevent erosion.
Victims have to live under the open sky as their dwellings were washed away by the river erosions.
They face huge losses as their croplands have also been washed away.
The government must take planned and effective measures to prevent such pervasive and ill-affecting fury of rivers.
Only then country’s people will get protection largely from the river erosion in the future.
It is feared thousands of families of the vulnerable districts will be rendered homeless in the coming days.
Natural disaster like floods and cyclones cause loss to people but they do not take away their land while erosion takes away everything.
On the other hand, the plight of the affected people particularly those took shelter on the flood control embankments and other safer places have been aggravated with the passage of time.
It is noted that that climate change impact, water level rise in river systems during monsoon and recent change in the course of some major rivers, the erosion in last few years took the serious turn, making people destitute overnight, losing all their farmland and homesteads into the rivers.
