Erosion by Kushiyara takes alarming turn in Habiganj

SYLHET, Sept 15: A vast area of land, mostly cropland, is on the way of disappearing as erosion by the Kushiyara River continues to play havoc in Ajmiriganj upazila of Habiganj district.
Erosion has caused damage to the river embankment alongside affecting a good number of human habitats, shortly after the latest spell of flood hit the region, including Habiganj and Moulvibazar districts.
Local farmers have demanded immediate repair of the dam as river erosion is ravaging their croplands.
If immediate measures are not taken to repair the dam, standing transplanted Aman paddy on several hundred hectares of land would be at risk, apprehended a number of farmers.
Fearing onslaughts of erosion, locals pressed for quick repair of the embankment, but the Water Development Board (WDB) did not pay heed to the demand, alleged some locals.
An official said the 7km embankment from the lunch terminal of Habiganj town to Pirojpur Kheyaghat in Badalpur union was built eight years ago in two phases.
Locals alleged that during repair of the embankment, after three years, soil moved away from the base of the earthen structure, which made it weaker.
Due to this, a half kilometer stretch of the embankment is set to erode further.
There are at least 500 hectares of croplands in the said area, but if erosion continues its present trend, transplanted Aman paddy on several thousand hectares of land in various haor areas of Badalpur union and Jolsuka union would be badly affected.
Already a good portion of the embankment had eroded in Ghaga-nighat area.
Farmers like Bashir Mia said, "If immediate steps are not taken for repair, we would have to suffer greatly due to the calamity. Already a good portion of the riverbank has been engulfed by the river."
'We had drawn attention of the WDB officials months ago. Had it been considered that time, the crops might have remained risk free," he added, saying, "Still there is no move for embankment repair. Now we may have to lose both crop and land."
Union parishad member Md Kashem Mia said the embankment has been in a bad state and needs immediate attention for repair by the WDB. Otherwise, the farmers would face huge sufferings. The trouble ensued due to faulty repair after three years of construction of the embankment, the farmers said.
An official at the Habiganj WDB office said, "We would soon visit the area and take necessary decision. It may be repaired this fiscal through project implementation committee (PIC)," he added.

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