The Padma River is eroding agricultural land, homes, educational institutions, and electrical transmission lines, having already swept away a national grid tower pole in the Sahebnagar area of Mirpur Upazila in Kushtia, with another pole at imminent risk.
Additionally, the Kushtia-Pabna highway is under threat from erosion, if this highway is affected, it could sever communication between northern and southern Bengal.
On Saturday afternoon, a visit to the river area of Sahebnagar in Bahalbadia Union of Mirpur Upazila revealed a significant rise in the water level of the Padma.
It was observed that a 132 KV tower pole of the Power Grid Company of Bangladesh (PGCB) had already fallen into the river, and locals fear that another tower pole is also at risk of being swept away.
The Padma River's severe erosion is affecting several areas in Kushtia. Over the past three years, hundreds of acres of agricultural land have been lost to the river's currents.
The 132 KV tower pole, residential homes, educational institutions, and the Kushtia-Pabna highway are all under threat. If immediate measures are not taken to prevent erosion, the highway could soon be at risk of collapse.
Farmer Hasan Ali from Sahebnagar expressed his concerns and said that the river's erosion has caused a national grid tower to collapse right in front of his house. Residential homes, agricultural land, the Kushtia-Pabna highway, and several other electrical tower poles are at risk. "We are living in constant anxiety under these circumstances," he added.
Engineer Abu Taleb from the Bottoil grid in Kushtia said that power transmission from the fallen tower had already been suspended days before the incident. Electricity is transported between Bheramara and Faridpur through this line, but the collapse will not significantly impact electricity transmission, as supply continues normally through alternate lines.
Upazila Nirbahi Officer (UNO) for Bheramara Mizanur Rahman said that the erosion of the Padma River has intensified. Protests regarding riverbank erosion are occurring almost daily, and the matter of constructing permanent embankments has been communicated to the relevant authorities.
Rashidur Rahman, executive engineer of the Kushtia Water Development Board, said that work on permanent embankments will begin once the situation stabilizes. Continuous rainfall has caused the river's water level to rise by 2 to 3 centimetres, and the severe erosion in the area is due to changes in the river's course and adverse weather conditions.
