Teesta erosion leaves many homeless

As flood waters recede, Teesta River banks are being subjected to heavy erosion turning many people landless in three unions, Biddanando, Nazimkha, and Gharialdanaga, under Razaharhat upazila of Kurigram.

The river has already devoured many homesteads, arable lands and infrastructures. Families are in fear of more erosion in the coming days.

The erosion-hit people have taken shelter on elevated government lands, roads, and others’ lands. Many of the villagers have left their ancestral places losing valuables and assets to the river.

Rajarhat upazilla nirbahi officer (UNO) Nure Tasnim said Teesta River is eroding in three unions of the upazila.

“We visited the vulnerable areas and erosion-hit people of the unions. The upazilla administration offered cash assistance to the affected families and wrote to the Bangladesh Water Development Board to take immediate measures to prevent the erosion,” the UNO added.

Gharialdanaga UP member Shahidul Islam said the river has gobbled up around 100 houses during the last 20 days in Charkhitabkha, Mondolpara, Pakarmatha, and Gotiyasham villages of the union. The erosion-hit families have taken shelter in high lands building makeshift houses.

A panic situation has been prevailing among the villagers of the union, he added.

Hundreds of houses and about 1,500 hectares of croplands in different villages of two other unions are at risk as they might be eroded any time.

Rafiqul Islam, 55, a farmer from Char Biddanado union, said that he lost his assets including houses and croplands in river. He and his five family members are now living on other’s land. He has nothing to support his family. Finding no alternative, he has become a van–puller to earn his livelihood.

“Houses, roads, and croplands of villages are being eroded in the river regularly. Loss of the assets could be avoided if the Water Development Board had taken effective measures on time,” he said.

Sadeq Ali, 50, another farmer from the char, said the char people have become helpless losing everything. Many of them have left the villages. Taking shelter in other places in the district, they have become day labourers.

Char Biddanando UP Member Hossain Ali said, “The char people are living inhuman life. They have no permanent houses, assets or income sources. Most of them have become day labourers and van-pullers. Few of the char people can hardly maintain their livelihood fishing in the river.”

Each of the affected families has been given Tk 10,000 from the upazilla administration, he added.

Asked, Executive Engineer at Water Development Board in Kurigram Abdullah AL Mamun said, “We informed the higher authorities to take permanent protection measures on both banks of the river to avoid erosion. A study, however, was carried out by an expert team of the River Research Institute, Faridpur to find out the permanent measures to avoid erosion following the application.”

The department has also allocated geo textile bags to dump in the river to protect erosion. Dumping of sand-filled geo textile bags in the river has been going on. The situation is improving,” he added.