Traditional boats have replaced regular vehicles for commuting residents of three villages in Lalmonirhat as River Dharla has overrun the Lalmonirhat-Fulbari road.
Over a thousand people living in Shiberkuti, Shimulbari and Char Kulaghat villages of Kulaghat union have been using this alternative form of transport for the past week or so.
Paying for boat trips has become a cause of concern for the poor villagers who previously commuted by foot. Each trip to the district town costs them Tk5 or more.
Those who cannot afford the “luxury” of a paid trip choose to use their own boats, which are usually unpowered and made from bamboo sticks or banana trees. School-going children are suffering the most from the disruptions.
Mahasin Ali, a rickshaw operator at Shimulbari village, said, “We cannot move through the Lalmonirhat-Fulbari road as it was devoured by the river. For each trip on boat, one has to pay Tk5, and Tk5 more is required if there is a bicycle and Tk10 if it is a rickshaw.”
Sohag Islam, a class eight student at Kulaghat High School, said he and other students in his village had not been able to attend classes in the past six days since going to school meant crossing the river.
Sources said the local office of Bangladesh Water Development Board (BWDB) had not yet taken any steps to reduce or control floodwaters.
Although some affected villagers have called for the initiation of a government-sponsored boat service until the water recedes, there has been no response.
Kulaghat UP Chairman Idris Ali said many homesteads, orchards, vast areas of cropland and an approximately 650m stretch of dirt road were devoured by the River Dharla in the past month.
Officials from the BWDB and the roads and highway department visited the area but no initiatives have been taken as yet to check for flooding and riverbank erosion, he said.
In this regard, BWDB Executive Engineer (Kurigram zone) Abu Taher said a lack of funds was impeding their efforts to take effective flood control measures.
However, he hoped the situation would improve if the government allocates funds for this purpose and effective measures are taken.
