Fresh erosion has appeared at several points in Roumari, Kurigram, as the water of the Brahmaputra recedes. People living on the bank are at a loss, fearing that homesteads, cropland, roads and other structures beside the river will be swallowed by it.
Local people said erosion in parts of Roumari becomes severe every monsoon as the rivers rise and fall. The risk is highest at Baishpara and Khedaimari in Bandaber union and at Pakhiura, Ghughumari, Sukher Bati, Gendar Alga, Sonapur and Char Italukanda in Char Shoulmari union.
They say the strong current of the onrush from the hills of Assam in India strikes the east bank of the Brahmaputra, making erosion in these areas severe. Even after the water falls, the earth is suddenly collapsing in places because the current has changed course and is pulling at the bank.
A photograph shows a section of the bank already broken away into the river, with local men and women standing at the edge and looking at the water in fear. In places homesteads and paths are only a few feet away, and people fear they will be lost if the erosion advances even a little.
Residents said that over the decades the Brahmaputra has swallowed thousands of hectares of cropland, homesteads, schools, mosques and other structures. Many families have had to move their homes more than once. Some have lost their land and been left destitute, and others have been forced to settle elsewhere.
They complain that although the erosion has gone on for years, new areas come under threat every year because there are no effective permanent measures against it. They say quick and effective steps are needed in particular in the riverside settlements of Char Shoulmari and Bandaber unions.
Several residents who have lost property said: “The river is taking our houses and land. We spend our days in that fear.”
They are demanding that the erosion-prone areas be inspected urgently, that geo-bags, blocks and other protective measures be put in place, and that a long-term river training project be carried out.
The Brahmaputra’s continuing erosion is taking not only earth but people’s homes, crops, memories and means of living. They stand on the bank and watch it happen every day, and ask where it will end.
বাংলায় মূল প্রতিবেদন পড়ুন · Read the original Bengali report