Severe erosion along the Padma River is reshaping the landscape of Chapainawabganj, swallowing homes, schools, mosques and vast tracts of farmland. Thousands of families have lost their homesteads and land, leaving many displaced and struggling to find shelter, according to local representatives and residents.
Following this year's floods, erosion has intensified in several areas, including Narayanpur in Chapainawabganj Sadar upazila and Durlabhpur, Namorajannathpur, Filderhat, Kanchira, Boglauri and Jhailpara in Shibganj upazila. Thousands of families have reportedly lost their homes to the river.
With the threat of erosion looming, residents have been scrambling to salvage their belongings and dismantle vulnerable houses, sometimes in the middle of the night, after warnings are announced over mosque loudspeakers. Over the past four to five years, many families have been forced to relocate their homesteads eight to 10 times. Having lost their land, some now live on plots belonging to others.
Abdul Malek Mondal, chairman of Panka Union Parishad, said erosion had dramatically altered the landscape of four unions.
He said severe erosion had continued for the past 10 days in Nishipara, Dakshin Panka, 20 Roshia, Jakpara and Dobhagi in Panka Union, as well as neighbouring Monohorpur and Filderhat.
According to the chairman, around 500 families in Panka and adjoining areas have lost their homes to the river. Many have taken shelter on other people's land after losing their homesteads.
Residents of Filderhat, including Mahbub Alam, Mosharraf Hossain and Sadikul Islam, said the homes of numerous residents, including Dulal, Rozebul, Mannan, Rafique, Salam, Ziaul and Babur, had been swallowed by the river. They called for urgent riverbank protection and embankment construction to prevent further displacement.
Farmland swallowed by the river
The erosion has destroyed not only homesteads but also extensive areas of agricultural land. Local representatives estimate that several thousand acres of farmland along the river have been damaged. In some places, the river has eaten away entire stretches of land, leaving vast sandbars in its wake.
Abdul Malek Mondal said around 4,000 acres of land could be brought under cultivation for mangoes, mustard and maize after floodwaters receded. However, farmers affected by flooding and erosion lack the money needed to resume cultivation.
He urged the government to provide seeds to affected farmers free of cost or at subsidised rates to help them recover their livelihoods.
Residents blamed changes in the Padma's course and flow, which they attributed partly to the Farakka Barrage in India. They claimed erosion intensifies during the monsoon when the barrage gates are opened and river flows change. However, the extent to which the barrage contributes to local erosion requires technical and scientific assessment.
Tk748 crore riverbank protection project
Mehedi Hasan Mishu, executive engineer of the Chapainawabganj Water Development Board (WDB), said a Tk748 crore project had been taken up to protect the riverbanks.
The authorities plan to spend around Tk300 crore this year on embankment construction and riverbank protection.
Under the project, protection work is planned along 16 sections of the river's left bank and seven sections of its right bank. The planned work covers 1,940 metres along the left bank and 3.90 kilometres along the right bank, he said.
A WDB engineer said erosion was currently affecting Monohorpur in Durlabhpur, Ayub Biswas's Tola, Namorajannathpur, Dailpara, Kanchira in Panka, and Narayanpur Char, Alatuli, Debinagar and Homma in Chapainawabganj Sadar upazila.
Homesteads, cropland, schools, madrasas, health centres and other establishments in these areas are under threat.
Residents fear that without swift intervention, erosion will spread further, forcing more families from their homes and destroying additional farmland. They urged the authorities to expedite the ongoing project and launch emergency riverbank protection work in the most vulnerable areas.
According to WDB sources, an earlier project to protect the Padma's left bank from Sundarpur Union to Alatuli Union has been completed. However, residents said erosion had since emerged in new areas and called for effective protective measures to prevent further damage.