Erosion caused by the Jamuna River in Tangail Sadar has devoured 35 families and cultivable land in the region.
A victim said the erosion was too intense for the locals to save their belongings.
According to locals, erosion is an annual occurrence along the Jamuna River. However, this year's erosion has been particularly severe and unseasonal, exacerbating the plight of the affected communities.
The erosion-affected people, including those living along the riverbank, have demanded that the concerned authorities take necessary steps to prevent erosion.
Bangladesh Water Development Board (BWDB) has assured the people that an application has been sent to the Dhaka office for an emergency allocation to prevent erosion in the Tangail section of the Jamuna River.
According to the Bangladesh Water Development Board (BWDB) office in Tangail, Geo Bags—a geo-synthetic product designed to protect riverbanks—have been strategically placed from Nagarpur in Tangail district to Charpouli in Sadar Upazila to construct a dam along the banks of the Jamuna River. Additionally, concrete blocks have been laid from Kalihati Upazila’s Patharghata to Alipur to reinforce the riverbank. Despite these efforts, significant erosion has occurred due to a critical gap as a 1,625-metre section of the riverbank remains unprotected, leading to severe erosion in that area.
A yearly burden
Residents living along the Jamuna River brace themselves for erosion every monsoon season. This year, however, disaster struck with horrifying swiftness. The water level, which had only just begun to rise days ago, unleashed its full fury on Tuesday. Erosion tore through the riverbank, bypassing the dam in a terrifying surge. In a matter of moments, homes were ripped from their foundations, trees uprooted, and all furniture swept away. The Jamuna swallowed everything in its path, leaving the families with nothing but the clothes on their backs.
Tangail's Charpouli resident, Abdul Kader Zilani, has lost his home to erosion four times in the last 30 years. This time, 60 per cent of his was swept away on Tuesday's incident. "We stare at the monstrous Jamuna, homeless and with no livelihood," Zilani said. "We do not need handouts. We need protection from this erosion."
Lalbanu Begum, another villager, described years of battling the river's relentless erosion and said, "We have not eaten or slept properly since Tuesday, just moving furniture. Our children suffer. We need a permanent solution, not handouts. We want a dam to stay on our land."
Her neighbour, Hunifa Begum, echoed the sentiment. "We watched helplessly as our house vanished into the river. We do not want charity. We want to live on our own soil. Build a dam. Let us rebuild our lives."
Samajik Seba Shonghothon Founder Belal Hossain expressed the dire situation, stating, "Our organisation typically aids in rescuing homes and belongings in erosion-affected areas. However, on Tuesday, numerous homes were swiftly swept away into the Jamuna River, leaving us powerless to intervene and save them in time.'"
Tangail-5 Member of Parliament Md Sanowar Hossain said, "A Chinese-style dam will be constructed in the Charpouli area at a cost of Tk 250 crore with the World Bank’s financial assistance."
Nazrul Islam, local Union Parishad member, painted a grim picture. "For the past 30 years, erosion has relentlessly gnawed away at villages across Kakua Union," he said. "Just this Tuesday, the Jamuna River swallowed nearly 1.5 kilometres of Charpouli village, displacing 35 families and taking their homes, belongings, and land."
"We have already begun fortifying the Jamuna's banks with Geo Bags, thanks to the funding from the Asian Development Bank," said Sajjad Hossain, executive engineer of the Tangail Water Development Board.
“A new project has been approved to construct an additional 1,625 meters of dams in Charpouli, Sadar Upazila, Bhairabbari, Kalirhat Upazila, and the Alipur area. This crucial work will be implemented during the upcoming dry season," he added.
