Teesta flows above danger line, over 300 families affected by erosion

The water levels of the Teesta River are fluctuating due to heavy rains upstream as erosion takes hundreds of houses and other establishments by the riverbank.

At Dalia point, the river water was flowing 20cm above the danger line on Thursday but had fallen down to over 10cm by Friday morning.

Farmers are worried as the recently cultivated Aman paddy fields have been submerged by water entering the low-lying areas along the banks of the Teesta.

In the Bajra Union of Kurigram’s Ulipur upazila, a community clinic, two mosques, a temple, an Eidgah ground, a madrasa, Puraton Bajra Bazar and a private primary school were lost in the Teesta’s heavy erosion along with more than 250 houses of three villages in the last week.

Many families have been forced to spend the nights under the open sky amid heavy rains. Due to the severity of erosion, the local people have requested Bangladesh Water Development Board (BWDB) to take quick preventive measures in the affected areas.

Bablu, who lost his house in the erosion, said “I have been staying at someone’s yard without a roof over my head for the last three days. I do not know where I will go next.”

Ulipur Upazila Nirbahi Officer (UNO) Bipul Kumar said the chairman and members have been asked to list those who lost their homes due to erosion. “We will provide shelter for them as soon as possible. BWDB cannot take erosion preventive measures currently due to a lack of budget,” he added.

Abdullah Al Mamun, the executive engineer of Kurigram BWDB, said the erosion is due to river management measures upstream of the area. “We have reported the matter to the higher authorities. Action will be taken soon,” he added.