River erosion has intensified at 33 points along the Teesta, Brahmaputra, Dharla and Dudhkumar rivers in Kurigram, affecting thousands of people and devouring hundreds of houses and vast areas of agricultural land over the past two months.
The worst-affected upazilas include Kurigram Sadar, Nageshwari, Rahumari, Ulipur and Rajarhat, where residents have been forced to seek shelter on embankments, roadsides and government shelter centres.
Despite the severity of the situation, the Water Development Board has taken emergency measures to mitigate further erosion, said Md Rakibul Hasan, executive engineer of the Kurigram WDB.
According to the WDB, erosion is occurring at 33 separate locations, covering a combined area of approximately 4.3 kilometres. The board has already started dumping 250kg sand-filled geo bags at the erosion-prone spots on an urgent basis.
The river erosion affected areas include 365m at Habiganj Bazar, 370m at Sonapur, 70m at Ghugh Mari, 100m at Sukherbati, 70m at Phuluar Char, 140m at Dakshin Namazer Char, 175m at Uttar Namazer Char, 140m at Gendar Alga in Rajibpur upazila.
In Kurigram Sadar upazila, the river erosion affected areas include 35m at Char Newazi, 280m at Kodalkati, 100m at Jinjiram and142m at Char Youth Net.
In Ulipur upazila, the river erosion affected areas include 105m adjacent to Nurunnahar School, 140m at Rasulpur, 100m at Mollarhat and 120m at Kismat Fulbari.
In Rajarhat upazila, the river erosion affected areas include 220m at Dariyarpar and 75m at Ramhari.
In Nageshwari upazila, the river erosion affected areas include 111m at Madarganj, 340m at Kaliganj, 175m at Dai Khawar Char and 75m at Char Luchni.
Other locations are150m at Sardob (Dharla River), 150m at Fulbari Char Gorkomandap, 50m at Dari Kishorepur, 50m at Damal village, 82m at Ajitpur, 75m at Char Paschim Dhanirampur, 90m at Bangtur Ghat, 35m at Khauarpar, 70m at Char Jatrapur Baniapara (Dharla River), 75m at Char Balrampur, and 40m at Kuti area of Bhurungamari Dhauria.
Local residents expressed deep concern and despair as their homes and ancestral lands vanished into the rivers.
鈥業n the past one month, about 15 houses and large areas of cropland have disappeared into the river in our village. We are devastated and don鈥檛 know where to go,鈥� said Nur Nabi, a resident of Char Gorkomandop in Naodanga union under Phulbari upazila.
Saleka Begum, 55, from the same village, said, 鈥楳y parents graves disappeared into the Dharla River before my eyes. If the government doesn鈥檛 take immediate action, our entire village will be gone. Where will we go?鈥�
Abdul Gafur, chairman of Jatrapur union parishad under sadar upazila, said, 鈥楢round 100 houses in Baniapara and Sabujpara have been lost to the Brahmaputra鈥檚 erosion. Every day, affected people come to me seeking shelter.鈥�
Md Abul Kalam Azad, former chairman of Bidyananda union under Rajarhat upazila, said that erosion by the Teesta River had displaced many in the Dariyarpar area, forcing people to change their addresses multiple times.
Professor Shafiqul Islam Bebu, convener of the Kurigram District Char Development Committee, explained that the formation of chars due to silt and sand from upstream India alters water flow and accelerates erosion.
鈥業f these chars are not removed through dredging, the erosion will continue,鈥� he warned.
WDB executive engineer Rakibul Hasan added that efforts were ongoing with the deployment of geo bags and other resources to protect the most vulnerable points.