PHULBARI , KURIGRAM, June 27: Severe erosion along the Dharla River has left several families homeless and placed around 150 more at risk in Kurigram's Phulbari Upazila, as rising river waters continue to eat away at the riverbank.
The worst-hit area is Char Gorokmondol, where at least four families have lost their homesteads over the past week and have been forced to relocate. Vast stretches of cropland and a Mujib Kella flood shelter, built at a cost of nearly Tk 2 crore, are also under threat.
Local residents said hundreds of bighas of farmland have already been swallowed by the river. Fearing further erosion, many families have dismantled their homes and moved to safer places. However, many lack the financial means to rebuild and are living in hardship.
Day labourer Majnu Sarkar, 48, and his wife Chanbanu Begum are among those struggling to save what remains of their property.
"I have been displaced by river erosion five or six times in my life. The river has taken all my land. Only this homestead remained, and now that too is on the verge of being washed away," Majnu said.
"I have dismantled my house, but I do not have the money to build another one. I don't know how I will support my family," he added.
Holding back tears, Chanbanu said the family now spends sleepless nights fearing the river could claim their home at any moment.
"There is water everywhere. If the river rises further, it will enter our house. At night I cannot sleep because I fear the erosion will suddenly take away our home," she said.
"My husband is old and cannot work like before. I work as a day labourer to keep the family going. After working all day, if we cannot even feel safe in our own home, what could be more painful? If protection work starts now, perhaps our last piece of land can still be saved."
Another resident, Jahurul Haque, said the river had come within about 20 yards of his house.
"Our home could disappear into the river at any time. Unless urgent measures are taken, many more families will suffer," he said.
Ward member Ayaz Uddin said several families, including that of Majnu Sarkar, had already lost their homesteads and taken shelter elsewhere. Over the past year, more than 100 families in the area have been displaced by erosion, with many now living on government housing premises, on others' land or with relatives.
He said renewed rises in the river level over the past week had accelerated the erosion, placing around 150 families at immediate risk. The Mujib Kella flood shelter is also threatened.
He urged the authorities to dump geobags immediately and construct a permanent embankment to protect the area.
Executive Engineer of the Bangladesh Water Development Board in Kurigram Rakibul Hasan said 2,000 geobags had been allocated a week ago for erosion control in Char Gorokmondol.
"If the work has not yet started, we will ensure it begins immediately," he said, adding that additional geobags would be supplied if necessary.
