JHENIDAH, Aug 26: Erosion by the mighty river Padma has taken a serious turn at some villages under Koya and Shelaidaha unions in Kumarkhali upazila of Kushtia recently, threatening the very existence of Kobiguru's Kuthibari, hospital and Kacharibari at Shilaidah village.
Erosion on 3.5 kilometre river banks of the Padma, from Haripur village of No 1 Haripur union of Kushtia Sadar upazila to Hakimpur village of Shelaidaha union under Kumarkhali upazila is going on unabated devouring new places everyday, sources said.
The physical maps of Koya and Shelaidaha unions have already been changed due to the random erosions that have taken place in the recent years, sources added.
The buildings of Komorkandi Primary School at Shelaidaha union will disappear anytime into the Padma.
70-80 homesteads at Sultanpur, Berkaloya, Kaloya and Shrikol villages under Koya union and 50-60 houses under Shelaidaha, Hakimpur and Doyarampur villages at Shelaidaha union have already been swallowed up while hundreds more are on the verge of being devoured by the river.
The people affected and threatened by erosion on the river bank areas are shifting to their relatives' houses and making homesteads on their lands to escape the fury of the river.
The river has already devoured many portions of the 7 kilometer-long pucca road on its bank areas from Kushtia Borobazar Ghoraghat to Shelaidaha union, through which thousands of people move to Kumarkhali upazila parishad and Kushtia district headquarters everyday.
Chairman of Koya Union Parishad Zia-ul-Islam Swapon said, "Thousands of inhabitants of the areas, including school and college students, in serious condition patients and child-bearing mothers to be taken to Kumarkhali upazila heath complex, Kushtia General Hospital and other heath-care centres are bearing untold suffering due to erosion of the public-important pucca road in the region."
Md. Noimul Haque, Executive Engineer, Bangladesh Water Development Board (BWDB), Kushtia told the FE, "A Development Project Proposal (DPP) of Tk 1650 million for making embankments along the Padma erosion areas to protect the Rabindra Kuthibari, and its adjacent places had been sent to the higher authority.''
Deputy Commissioner of Kushtia Syed Belal Hossain said, "So far as I know BWDB, Kushtia, has submitted a proposal to the concerned authority. To protect Shelaidaha Kuthibari will be possible if the scheme can be implemented."
