The 200-year-old Dighirpar Bazar in Munshiganj's Tongibari upazila is facing an alarming erosion threat, with the Padma River having already devoured at least six business establishments in recent days.
The sudden collapse began last week, shocking local traders and residents who now fear that the remaining market structures could be lost if the erosion continues.
“We are terrified that if this goes on, everything we have will vanish into the river,” one businessman said.
Locals have urged authorities to take urgent action to protect the market, a vital commercial hub for the area and their livelihoods.
The crisis comes at a time when the district’s Water Development Board (WDB) is implementing a Tk525.50 crore project to halt erosion.
The 15km project, launched in April 2021, stretches from Dighirpar in Tongibari to Shimulia in Louhajong.
So far, the WDB claims to have completed over 60% of the work, which includes placing Geo bags to reinforce riverbanks.
However, allegations persist that illegal sand extraction by influential groups at night is worsening the erosion.
Abdul Aziz, a local businessman, alleged that extensive dredging in the past had deepened the riverbed and triggered the current collapse.
“The geo bags they are dropping are not enough. They just come, throw a few bags and leave, as there’s no follow-up,” he said.
Another resident, Suman Bepari, claimed that entire villages such as Sarishabari and Haldar Bari have been lost to the river due to illegal sand cutting. “Even though the High Court has a petition to stop this, it continues at night. They just pause in the day and resume under darkness,” he said.
Tongibari Upazila Nirbahi Officer (UNO) Mostafizur Rahman visited the site on Wednesday morning, assuring affected traders of government assistance.
He also confirmed that a dredger from neighbouring Shariatpur had been spotted operating at night.
“We will take action after speaking to the police station. Geo bags were placed before, but the strong current has made the erosion severe,” he said.
Dighirpar Union Parishad acting Chairman Kausar Sohel Miji pointed to poor coordination between contractors.
“The institutions involved in dam construction blame each other, which delays the work. Since the fall of the government, progress has slowed. The administration must ensure the dam is completed quickly,” he said.
Sheikh Enamul Haque, deputy assistant engineer at Munshiganj WDB, said the project consists of 26 packages, of which 18 are for permanent works.
“Permanent block-based works have been completed over 9.1 kilometres. The average progress is 60.50%. No work has stopped – block casting, block dumping, and sandbag placement are all ongoing. We’ve already placed nearly all of our 33,000 bags,” he said.
Enamul added that CC blocks of sizes 35 and 45 are being prepared, with 60% of the dumping work completed so far.
The project is scheduled to continue until September 2026, and Haque expressed confidence that it would be finished on time.
