Soil erosion by the Teesta River keeps devouring houses and cropland in Kaunia upazila of Rangpur district — FE Photo RANGPUR, May 27: The soil erosion caused by the Teesta River in Kaunia upazila of the district has intensified alarmingly in the last couple of weeks, devouring hundreds of houses.
The Teesta riverbank erosion devoured as many as 100 houses at Godai, Panjarvanga, Dhushmara and Chargonai villages, leaving hundreds of residents homeless.
The people of different areas under Kaunia upazila in the district are passing days in distress without their dwellings.
Besides this, around 200 bighas of cropland has gone into the river due to the soil erosion.
Many trees have also been engulfed by the river, sources said.
Thousands of people of Godai, Dhusmara, Panjarvanga, Araji Harishwar, Char Gonai, Nijpara, Taluk Shahbaz villages in the upazila have been passing sleepless night in fear of serious soil erosion by the river.
Locals have alleged that they have already informed the upazila administration and the Bangladesh Water Development Board (BWDB) of the situation, but the authorities concerned have not taken any measures yet to ease their sufferings.
Talking to The Financial Express, locals have alleged that they may suffer a huge loss if the situation continues for the next one or two weeks.
They have made an appeal to the authority concerned to save their ancestral properties from destruction.
Dulu Mia, a farmer of Godai village, told The FE that his house and one bigha of cropland were devoured by the river.
"Every year we face the fury of the Teesta River. It has become much difficult for us to survive, as the river erosion is intensifying day by day," he said.
Kaunia Upazila Nirbahi Officer (UNO) Mahidul Haque said they have already informed the authority concerned of the matter. Necessary steps are being taken in this regard. BWDB Superintending Engineer Ahsan Habib said they have already visited the erosion-affected areas.
Work on the 190-metre Teesta riverbank is going on through tender to prevent soil erosion. A decision has been taken to dump geo-bags in the affected areas to check the river erosion, he added.
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