Padma River erosion reshapes the maps of four unions
Following the floods in Chapainawabganj, erosion by the Padma River has swallowed the homes of 800 families across Narayanpur in Sadar Upazila and Shibganj Upazila. Photo: Agamir Somoy
Homes, educational institutions, mosques and farmland are disappearing into the Padma River one after another due to severe erosion in Chapainawabganj. Following this year’s flooding, river erosion has swept away the homes of at least 800 families in several areas, including Narayanpur in Sadar upazila and Durlabhpur, Namo Jagannathpur, Fielderhat, Kanchira, Boglauri and Jhailpara in Shibganj upazila. Terrified by the erosion, residents rush out at night to help one another move their homes whenever an announcement is made over mosque loudspeakers.
Locals said many families have had to dismantle and relocate their homes eight to 10 times over the past four to five years. Thousands of people have lost their land to river erosion, dramatically changing the familiar landscape along the riverbanks. In several areas of Narayanpur, Panka, Ujirpur and Durlabhpur unions, the river has shifted nearly 7 to 8 kilometers inland over the past few years. Having lost their homesteads and farmland, many people have now become landless and homeless.
The suffering caused by the erosion has reached such a level that residents form groups and begin moving houses as soon as they hear announcements from mosque loudspeakers. With little time available, the work often continues late into the night. People from one family also come forward to help another family move its home.
Locals allege that the Farakka Barrage in India, about 18 kilometers upstream, has contributed to extensive erosion along both banks of the Padma in recent years. Farmland extending nearly 10 kilometers along both sides of the river has been washed away, leaving vast stretches of barren sand in many areas. After the Farakka gates are opened during the monsoon, the river’s main flow splits into several branches. As a result, the distance between the two banks has reached nearly 15 kilometers in some places.
Abdul Malek Mondal, chairman of the Panka Union Parishad, said erosion has changed the maps of all four unions. He said it has now become urgent to cultivate wheat, mustard and corn on about 4,000 acres of land after the floodwaters recede. However, because farmers do not have enough cash after dealing with the effects of the flooding, he called for the government to provide seeds.
He said severe erosion has been continuing for the past 10 days in Nishipara, South Panka, 20 Rashia, Jackpara and Dobhagi in Panka Union, as well as Manoharpur and Fielderhat in neighboring unions. The erosion has already swallowed the homes of about 500 families in Panka and surrounding unions. Having lost their homesteads, many people have been forced to settle on other people’s land.
Residents of the Fielderhat area—Mahbub Alam, Mosharraf Hossain M. and Sadikul Islam—said the homes of countless people, including Dulal, Rozbul, Mannan, Rafiq, Salam, Ziaul and Babar, have been lost to the river. They called for embankment construction to begin immediately.
Local resident Mosharraf Hossain M. said a project has been undertaken to construct an embankment at the initiative of the prime minister’s special assistant, Dr. Saimum Parvez. He said the suffering of people affected by the erosion would be reduced if work begins quickly.
Rakibul Islam, sub-divisional engineer of the Chapainawabganj Water Development Board, said 23 contractors have been assigned work to prevent river erosion. Embankment construction and protection work will be carried out at a cost of about Tk 3 billion. This includes protection work on 16 left-bank and seven right-bank embankment projects. The 16 left-bank projects will cover 1,940 meters, while the seven right-bank projects will cover 3.90 kilometers of embankments.
