Panic has gripped residents of Tangail as cropland, houses and other structures are being washed away by Jamuna and Jhenai rivers due to excessive rainfall and the onrush of upstream water from India.
According to local sources, rising waters of the Jamuna have caused severe erosion in the unprotected 1,625-metre area of Charpauli village in Katuli Union of Tangail Sadar, as well as in Chituliyapara, Bhalkutia, and Kashtha Para villages in Gobindashi Union, and Matikata, Patita Para, Konabari, and several other villages in Nikrail Union of Bhuapur Upazila.
Six villages in Gobindashi and Nikrail unions of Bhuapur Upazila have already been eroded. Following last year's erosion, whatever belongings residents managed to save are now at risk, causing fear among the riverbank inhabitants. Erosion has already started in some areas, and locals fear that this year, too, the Jamuna could destroy everything.
According to the Tangail Water Development Board (WDB), embankments have been constructed from Gorilabari Patharghat to Alipur on the left bank of the Jamuna in Kalihati Upazila, and the offtake of the New Dhaleshwari River has been fortified.
Additionally, a permanent embankment with geo-bags has been constructed from Nagarpur Upazila to the south of Charpauli in Tangail Sadar Upazila. However, the 1,625-metre section in the middle of Charpauli village remains unprotected, leading to erosion.
Residents living in fear of riverbank erosion have said that in the last monsoon, the WDB used geo-bags to prevent erosion in Khanurabari, Chituliyapara, and other areas. However, these embankments are now at risk of collapsing.
They also added that influential local individuals have used their power to place geo-bags in front of their own homes, while the homes of poor families have been neglected.
Several individuals who are the victims of last year’s river erosion have complained that illegal sand traders excavate and sell the sandbanks that emerge in the river during the dry season, altering the river's path and causing erosion in new areas. Protesting against these illegal sand traders yields no results. As a result, permanent and semi-permanent roads, guide embankments, residential houses, mosques, temples, and various educational institutions constructed at great expense are at risk of erosion.
Omesha Begum, Sufia Akter, and Korban Ali from Patita Para said that the water in the Jamuna River has been rising for several days, causing erosion. However, no measures are being taken to prevent it. Last year, the erosion destroyed their homesteads, and this year, the remaining land is on the verge of being devoured by the river.
Bhuapur Upazila Nirbahi Officer (UNO) Mamunur Rashid said that the higher authorities have been informed, and the district WDB has been requested to take prompt action to prevent erosion.
Tangail WDB Office Executive Engineer Md Sajjad Hossain said that he was informed about the erosion in Bhuapur Upazila’s Gobindashi and Nikrail unions through Mamunur Rashid. "A project proposal for the affected areas has been submitted to the higher authorities. An economic zone is being developed in the area. Once the work on the economic zone begins, a permanent embankment will be constructed," he said.
He also mentioned that a project worth approximately Tk 250 crore has been undertaken to construct a permanent embankment in the Charpauli area. The work on the embankment will commence in the upcoming dry season.
According to the sources, over 100 houses of residents living in five villages in Tangail’s Mirzapur upazila have been devoured by the Jhenai River as its water level is increasing rapidly.
Locals said extensive erosion began last week due to the influx of water from upstream and tidal surges.
In Fatehpur Union, in villages such as Fatehpur Paschimpara, Sutanri, Tholpara, Bankata, and Tholpara Madrasapara, erosion has severely affected homes, farmlands, mosques, and cemeteries, placing them at risk.
Many families from these villages have already started relocating. The mosque in Bankata village and the cemetery in Tholpagha village are also under threat.
Billal Hossain from Bankata village said that he and his three brothers had to relocate their home due to riverbank erosion and are now living in someone else's house.
Belaiyat Hossain from the same village also said: “I had to relocate my home due to the fear of erosion.”
Fatehpur Union Parishad Chairman Abdur Rauf said: “Upon receiving news of the erosion, Tangail-7 MP Khan Ahmed Shuvo visited the affected villages recently. The MP has directed the Water Development Board to provide geo bags to the erosion-affected area.”
