Bhorer Pakhi Pry School falls to Teesta

GAIBANDHA, Aug 20: Repeated visits by senior officials, including the state minister for water resources, and assurance of urgent action have failed to save Bhorer Pakhi Government Primary School in Sundarganj Upazila from the Teesta River.

The school building, the only educational institution for hundreds of children living in the char area, is now being dismantled and moved to safety as severe river erosion has brought the school to the brink of disappearance.

Local students, teachers and guardians have expressed anger over what they described as negligence by the Bangladesh Water Development Board (BWDB) and the authorities' failure to take timely measures to protect the school.

On August 8, State Minister for Water Resources Farhad Hossain Azad visited the erosion-hit area and assured locals of immediate action. Before and after his visit, the local union parishad chairman, upazila nirbahi officer (UNO), Deputy Commissioner (DC) and BWDB officials also inspected the area and made similar assurances.

However, no visible measures were taken to protect the school. Not even a single geobag was placed on the school premises to check the erosion, locals alleged.

During a visit to the area, this correspondent found workers hurriedly removing the school's tin sheets and other materials. One section of the boundary fence and three windows of the building have already been washed away by the river.

The future of hundreds of children in the char area now hangs in the balance.

Saiful Islam, Head-teacher of the school, expressed his frustration over the authorities' response.

"Classes were held normally at the school even on Wednesday. When the erosion intensified in the early hours of the morning, I immediately informed the assistant upazila education officer. Following his instructions, we began moving the school materials with 14 workers," he said.

"All the officials concerned have only visited the site. Not a single geo-bag was placed to protect the school. Had timely action been taken, the school could have been saved," he added.

Jamal Uddin, Convener of the BNP's Kapasia Union unit, alleged serious administrative negligence.

"TEO, ATEO, UNO, BWDB officials and the deputy commissioner visited the school and repeatedly assured us that immediate steps would be taken. But in reality, no visible work was done to protect it. This is clearly an administrative failure," he said.

Assistant Primary Education Officer Mukul Chandra Barman said the relevant departments had been informed repeatedly since the erosion began, but no timely action was taken.

"As a result, the situation has now gone beyond control," he said.
UNO Iffat Jahan Tuli said the institution had been ordered to be moved to a safer location as the erosion had intensified.

"River erosion is a natural disaster, but we will investigate whether there was any negligence by the BWDB in protecting the school," she said.

When asked why preventive measures had not been taken earlier, Shariful Islam, Executive Engineer of the BWDB's Gaibandha office, said there was no separate allocation for geobags to protect the school this year.

"However, after receiving the information, preparations are now under way to dump geobags there quickly," he said.
Meanwhile, repeated attempts to contact DC Mohammad Masudur Rahman Molla and the upazila primary education officer over the lack of administrative measures as the school faces the threat of being washed away went unanswered.