Erosion has already affected 20 villages in the upazila. Over 2000 families have become homeless while about 10,000 hectares of cultivable land have gone into the gorge of the river due to erosion in last three years. The worst affected villages are Ranikong, Shibganj, Dakumara, Gaokandia and Birishiri.

Villagers of Shibganj and Dakumara lodged several complaints with the administration demanding immediate stoppage of sand lifting but to no effect. They alleged that whenever they protested, unscrupulous sand lifters stopped sand lifting for a few days.

They again restarted sand lifting after a few days, villagers said.

Dakumara villagers said sand lifters threatened the protesters of filing extortion cases against them. They also blamed the local administration for not taking necessary action against the sand lifters. This has resulted in rise in sand lifting, villagers said.

Jakir Hossain, a villager at Shibganj said an organised gang of sand lifters is engaged in the criminal act. They lift sand without taking permission from the administration or the BWDB authorities. But the authorities concerned do not take any action against them, he added.

A villager at Birishiri said, on condition of anonymity, that the administration staffers take bribe from sand lifters.

Another villager, Abdur Rahim at Gaokandia village alleged that there is none to stop sand lifters from doing the bad practice. 'Whenever we protest, they leave the area but they come back again after a few days,' he said.

When contacted, Mohammad Alauddin, executive engineer of Netrakona BWDB said indiscriminate sand lifting is behind erosion by the Sumeshowary. If indiscriminate sand lifting continues then erosion will be intensified, he said.

A project proposal of Tk 24 crore was submitted to the higher authorities of the BWDB to build the Sumeshowary River Erosion Protection Dam. But all efforts will end in failure if sand lifting is not stopped, the BWDB engineer said.

In reply to a query, the engineer said the BWDB authorities did not give permission to anybody for lifting sand from the Sumeshowary.