Four villages along with Khanpur Border Outpost at Paba upazila in Rajshahi have been facing erosion due to a huge rush of water from India.
Hundreds of houses, hectares of cultivable land, trees, schools and mosques have been facing threat of erosion at Char-Khidirpur and Char Majardiar under Paba upazila, and Char Asariadaha, Diar Manik Char villages under Godagari upazila, while scores of houses, lands and trees of these villages have already been devoured in Padma River’s strong current.
Khanpur Border Outpost (BOP) which is located right next to the river Padma under Harian union of Paba upazila is under the threat of being completely eroded as more than 50 meters of the BOP area has been devoured during the last week.
Authorities from the Water Development Board, Rajshahi, were dumping Geotex bags filled with sand at the affected areas to keep the erosion in check, but the strong current of the river devoured them soon after they were dumped.
Locals fear that within next week or two, the entire Khanpur BOP might get washed away.
Khalilur Rahman, nayek subedar of Khanpur BOP, said five pillars of BOP have already been devoured by the river.
Sarker Muhammad Shamsuddin, sector commander of BGB 37 Battalion, said Khanpur BOP remains in an extremely vulnerable situation.
Locals of Taranagar village under Khanpur BOP said, for the past two weeks, rushing water from across the border has been devastating homesteads and lands with standing crops. Hundreds from the village have become paupers overnight.
The areas to the west side of Sonaikandi, Nabaganga and No 5 I-embankment and Bulanpur-I-embankment have been also under the threat of being eroded with the increasing water levers and strong current.
People living in these areas are in fear of losing everything as the rate of erosion increases every day.
Razzakul Islam, upazila nirbahi officer of Paba, said more than 500 metres of areas along with four kilometres of the Taranagar and Khanpur villages have already been eroded by the river.
He feared that if the erosion continued in such a way, the BOP along Khanpur would soon become a part of India.
Harun-ur-Rashid, executive engineer of Water Development Board, said they were also worried about Khanpur and I-embankment at Nabaganga and Bulanpur.