Hatia on the brink of going underwater

Hatia Upazila is an isolated region of the Noakhali District, situated on the banks of the Bay of Bengal and the Meghna River. For decades, the Meghna River has been eroding the land of Hatia, leading to the destruction of its coral reefs. Desperate residents, having lost their last possessions to the river, are leaving their homeland. Thousands of hectares of land in Hatia Upazila disappear into the Meghna River every year.
If river erosion can be prevented, Hatia has the potential to become one of Bangladesh's main tourist cities. In late 2021, the residents of Hatia began placing Gio bags on the river bank to combat erosion, but the project remains incomplete due to a lack of funds.
Experts think to stop river erosion and save Hatia the authorities should take prompt step to install concrete blocks. It is estimated that river erosion causes about 90 crore (900 million) taka in losses to the people of Hatia annually. Originally, Hatia had 11 unions, but three of them have already been gobbled up by the Meghna River.
In the last two years, two more unions, Sukhchar and Nalchira, have largely disappeared into the river. Installing concrete blocks on the river bank is the only option to preserve Hatia's land. If this is not done, Hatia will soon vanish into the Meghna River. The people of Hatia urge the authorities concerned to address this issue urgently.

Mamun Abdullah
Hatia, Noakhali