Jamal Hossain, 45, a resident of Pankharchar village in Kashiani upazila of Gopalganj, once depended on farming seven bighas of land to support his family. Of the total, three bighas were his own, while the remaining four were cultivated on a sharecropping basis.
But erosion by the Madhumati River has already swallowed four bighas, leaving him worried that the rest of his farmland could also disappear into the river.
Jamal is among many farmers in Pankharchar village under Fukra union who have lost agricultural land to river erosion. Several hundred others are now at risk of losing their remaining farmland.
A recent visit to the area found fresh erosion along the Madhumati River, with around 30 bighas of farmland already washed away. The loss has left many farmers distressed, while hundreds more bighas of agricultural land, roads and homesteads remain under threat.
The affected fields are used to cultivate Boro and Aman rice, sugarcane and other crops. As erosion continues, local farmers fear losing their livelihoods along with their land.
Farmer Aminur Rahman said they would lose their last remaining assets unless steps were taken immediately to stop the erosion.
“If the erosion is not stopped, we will not be able to save even the little land we have left. The Madhumati is gradually swallowing all our farmland. If this continues, many farmers will be left destitute,” he said.
“We are poor people, and our land is our only means of survival. We urge the government to take immediate steps to build a permanent embankment. Otherwise, our homesteads and farmland will all disappear into the river,” he added.
Another farmer, Md Moniruzzaman, said they were helplessly watching their cultivable land being swallowed by the river.
“Our families depend on farming this land. One plot after another is disappearing into the river, and now we fear losing what remains. Without land, how will we survive and feed our families?” he said, urging the authorities to take immediate measures to protect their farmland.
Md Hasan Ahmed, sub-assistant engineer of the Bangladesh Water Development Board (BWDB) in Gopalganj, said they were unaware of the latest erosion and that there was insufficient funding to tackle the problem this year.
“If funds are allocated next year, we will take measures in the erosion-affected areas,” he said.
