Riverbank erosion likely to render 37,000 people landless this year

The four major rivers-the Jamuna, the Ganges, the Padma and the lower Meghna-may grab around 3,700 hectares of land leaving 36,680 people landless and homeless this year, reports BSS.
A prediction report of Centre for Environmental and Geographic Information Services (CEGIS) said 485 hectares of settlement, 5.6 kilometres(km) of active embankment and about nine km roads are vulnerable to erosion along these four rivers.
The erosion prediction-2014 for the Jamuna, Ganges, Padma, and the Lower Meghna rivers was released Thursday  at a seminar at BRAC Centre Inn.
Water Resources Minister Barrister Anisul Islam Mahmud, State Minister for Water Resources Muhammad Nazrul Islam, Water Resource Secretary Dr Zafar Ahmed Khan, Vice-Chancellor of BRAC University Prof Dr Anun Nishat, Executive Director of CEGIS Eng Md Waji Ullah, water experts, engineers and officials, among others, addressed the seminar with director general of Bangladesh Water Development Board Md Shahidur Rahman in the chair.