A 52-metre section of a protective embankment along the Madhumati River has developed a breach near Fukra Launch Ghat in Gopalganj’s Kashiani upazila, raising fears of further erosion and threatening nearby homes, farmland, roads and institutions.
Built about 10 years ago, the 2.5km embankment had helped bring river erosion under control. However, a breach that appeared on September 23 has renewed concerns among residents, who are demanding permanent protection.
Several other sections of the embankment are also at risk, as the soil beneath the structure is suspected to have been washed away.
The Bangladesh Water Development Board (BWDB) began placing sandbags at the site on October 10. Around 5,000 sandbags have been placed to contain the erosion, said Md Koushik Gazi, a work assistant at the BWDB’s Bhatia Para sub-divisional engineer’s office in Kashiani.
He said the river’s narrow, deep channel and a bend near Fukra Launch Ghat had contributed to the problem. As water levels began to recede about a month ago, the current intensified, triggering the breach.
The full extent of the damage would become clear once water levels fell further, allowing officials to assess the condition of the embankment, Gazi added.
BWDB Gopalganj Executive Engineer Md Shawkat Osman said temporary measures were underway to prevent further erosion, while a feasibility study for permanent protection was in progress.
“Once the study is completed, we plan to construct a permanent protective embankment near Fukra Launch Ghat under a project,” he said.
Local residents Md Mintu Munshi and Alamgir Hossain Zakir said erosion had already destroyed homes, farmland and trees in the area. They said nearly two kilometres of land on the Gopalganj side had been eroded, while chars had emerged across the river in Lohagara upazila of Narail.
The renewed erosion has put remaining homes, cropland, roads and educational and religious institutions at risk, they said, urging the authorities to build a permanent embankment.
Abir Alamgir Piyas, a first-year honours student at Ramdia SK Government College, said generations of local residents had lost their ancestral land to river erosion.
“The erosion has started again, putting whatever property we have left at risk. My family and many others are living in fear,” he said, calling for permanent protection.