Erosion by Dakatia River takes devastating turn

CHANDPUR, Apr 22: Erosion by the Dakatia River , a tributary of the mighty river Meghna, has taken a devastating turn in recent times rendering a good number of families homeless at Nanupur village in Bagadi union of Chandpur Sadar upazila.

As many as 200 families at Nanupur, Nij Ghachtola and the adjacent villages under Bagadi union have been passing days in great panic and tension due to the persistent erosion threat to their homesteads.

During a spot visit, it was observed that due to uninterrupted erosion, a good number of dwelling houses and homesteads along with a vast area of cropland have already been devoured by the river, covering about one km area at Nanupur village. In order to draw attention of the authorities concerned and to seek urgent preventive steps, a human chain programme was held on Thursday at the vulnerable erosion point at Nanupur village.

A large number of local elites and affected men, women and youths attended this programme demanding an immediate end to the erosion onslaughts.

Local elites - Morshed Alam Khan, Mizan Khan, Shahjahan Patwary, Shahadat Hossain Talukder, and a few others strongly voiced their demand to protect the villages from further erosion through taking quick steps by the Water Development Board, Chandpur.

They observed that for the past 20 years, erosion by the Dakatia River has been going on unabated.

Time and again they earlier approached the local public representatives to take urgent steps like dumping concrete cement blocks and sand-filled geo- textile bags along the vulnerable points to tame erosion but to no effect.

Erosion affected Raoshan Ara, Majeda Khatun, Honufa Khatun and a few other poor women alleged that their landed properties along with dwelling houses and crop fields have been being washed away by the eroding Dakatia river for the past two decades .

If the current trend of erosion cannot be controlled, where will they go for shelter with their children?, they asked to know.

Contacted, local WDB's Executive Engineer Md Jahirul Islam told the FE the banks of the Dakatia are erosion prone here and there in Chandpur Sadar.

A detailed plan has already been taken up to save the erosion prone - area permanently from further erosion by the Dakatia River and this plan is now under consideration of the Water Resources Ministry.

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