Desk Report,
“Last year, cultivated land was lost to the river, and houses were falling into disrepair.”
Hasna Bhanu (46) of Nakla Upazila in Sherpur lost everything in the erosion of the old Brahmaputra River. This widowed woman is currently running a small tea shop at Kejaikata Ghat. 80 percent of their land and house were washed away in three phases due to the erosion of the river. She took refuge with her physically disabled husband Azahar Ali and their children at her sister’s house. Her husband died there. After that, Hasna Bhanu started a fight for her life with her three daughters and a son.
“Last year, cultivated land was lost to the river, and houses were falling into disrepair.”
Recently, showing the place where her homestead was washed away by the river, Hasna Bhanu lamented, “All the stones have been washed away in front of my eyes. I am returning home with my husband and children in the middle of the river due to the erosion of the river. If there had been no system to prevent erosion, people like Amgar would not have been left destitute.’ This is the regret of Hasna Bhanu and more than a hundred families of Char Ashtadhar Union. In the villages of Narayankhola Dakshin, Roy Ashtadhar and Bhebuarchar, which are located on the banks of the old Brahmaputra River in the upazila, they have lost their houses and cropland in the last six-seven years. Many have settled in the char that has risen across the river. Some have left the area in search of work. Some have taken shelter in the houses of relatives. Due to the lack of government assistance, these families are gradually becoming destitute.
According to local residents, erosion starts every year when the water level in the river rises during the monsoon season due to the strong current. Since there is no sustainable system to prevent erosion, there is a fear that an area of about two to three kilometers will again disappear into the river. Local resident Md. Hazrat Ali (65) said, ‘Last year, the cultivated land went into the river, and many houses are being eroded. If the embankment is not built, we will lose everything.’ Ashura Begum (50), a housewife from Bhebuarchar village, said, ‘Our houses have been submerged in the river even before the fair. I am taking water from other people’s houses. No one has helped me.’
Local resident Ali Akbar Khan said that erosion has occurred along about 500 meters of the river bank in the last two months. He said, ‘When the water comes, these lands will disappear into the river.’ The locals demand that erosion should be prevented by quickly building a sustainable embankment.
In this regard, sources from the Sherpur Water Development Board said that an attempt was made to prevent erosion by placing geobags in the Narayankhola South area in 2022, 130 meters in 2023, and 76 meters in 2024. Although this has yielded some results, a wider embankment is needed. Approval has already been received to build another one kilometer of embankment. A proposal has been sent to build an embankment in another two kilometers.
Nakla Upazila Executive Officer (UNO) Md. Jahangir Alam said, “I have just joined here. I will go to inspect the river erosion area and talk to the affected families. We will look into what kind of government assistance can be provided for them.”
Sherpur Water Development Board Executive Engineer Akhinuzzaman said, approval has been received to build another one kilometer of dam to prevent river erosion. I hope the work will start soon. Proposals have also been sent for the remaining part.
