Innumerable villages, houses, roads, and croplands are being lost for years due to the erosion by the Kangsha river in Netrakona Sadar and Barhatta Upazila.
In Netrakona, a market beside the Kangsha river, houses in five villages, crops, and roads are being devoured but the authorities are not taking any initiative to prevent the erosion. The villagers are trying their best to relocate their homes.
According to local residents and District Water Development Board sources, the Kangsha river devoured houses in Fakira Bazar, Charpara, Kornapur, Tatiyar, Pachpai, and Baghrua villages of Sadar upazila.
In the last 24 years, the houses and croplands of thousands of families in those villages have been washed away by the river. More than two hundred shops in Fakira Bazar have been collapsed into the Basabari river. More than a thousand houses in the village are under threat.
In the last four years, about one kilometre of the Thakurakona-Fakira Bazar road in the Charpara area has been washed away by the river. But the authorities concerned are not taking any permanent solution yet.
It was seen recently that the river Kangsha has started eroding the upper slope. Most are in Kornapur and Charpara areas. The paved road is collapsing in Kornapur and Charpara areas along the river. More than two hundred families have lost everything due to erosion.
Victims allege that local representatives have heard of the river erosion over the past two decades, but no one has come forward yet. As soon as the monsoon comes, the officials of the Water Development Board visit the area but in reality, no effective measure is taken.
Arif Mia of Kornapur village said, "Apart from our houses, the only road is also under threat." If a permanent dam is not built on the banks of the river in those two villages along with the road, several thousand more houses will be threatened.
Atiqur Rahman, chairman of Raipur Union Parishad, said thousands of families have so far left homeless due to the erosion by the Kangsha. Thousands of acres of land are being lost. No work is being done even after contacting the authorities concerned at different times to protect the road and the village protection dam.
In this regard, ML Mohon Lal Saikat, Executive Engineer, Netrakona District Pani Unnayan Board, said a letter has been sent for allocating Tk 5.32 billion (532 crore) to prevent erosion on 87 spots of the district.
The The200-meter road of the Kangsha river is under construction at a cost of Tk 4 million.
Our Correspondent from Tangail reports: With the rise of water level erosion by the mighty rivers Jamuna and Dhaleswari has taken a devastating turn. Many villages of Tangail Sadar, Bhuapur, Kalihati, and Nagorpur upazila have been destroyed by erosion of the Jamuna River.
During the past few days, panic gripped the people and erosion is posing a serious threat to a number of establishments such as mosques, schools, madrasas, power loom factories, sawmills, graveyards, and haats in the area.
According to sources, a vast tract of arable lands and a good number of dwelling houses of Kakua, Katuli, Hugra union under sadar upazila, Gohaliabari union under Kalihati upazila, Salimabad and Bharra union under of Nagorpur upazila, Gobindashi union of Bhuapur upazila in the area have been devoured by the river during the last few days, leaving over thousand of poor families homeless.
The most affected upazilas of the district are Tangail sadar, Kalihati, Nagorpur, and Bhuapur upazilas.
Water Development Board, Tangail is trying to protect a number of establishments from the Jamuna River erosion by dumping Geo-bags, but the current of the river took it far away.
Around a thousand families of the district are passing miserable days, losing their houses and properties. The homeless families said sometimes they are getting some food and sometimes they pass days hungry.
Raja Miah, union parishad member of No 5 Tebaria ward of Salimabad union, said there are about 2775 voters in his ward. Among them, about 50 per cent are living in the riverbank area. Due to the erosion of the Jamuna and Dhaleswary, they are going to different places in the union.
Sub-assistant engineer of Tangail water development board Md. Solayman Bhuiyan said to prevent the erosion emergency work is going on, but this is not a permanent solution. There is no other option than a permanent solution, he added.
