A village on the verge of extinction

Goghat village along the Brahmaputra river basin in Sadar upazila is on the verge of being totally washed away by erosion that has gripped the area for the last five days, rendering 75 families homeless.

Locals said there were about 3,500 people in the village five years ago, but erosion by the Brahmaputra has washed away 75 percent of the village in the last two years.

Erosion has intensified seriously this year and many houses, croplands, tree and plants are being engulfed by the surging water every day.

On visit to the areas on Saturday, this reporter saw villagers removing their houses and belongings to safer places before they got washed away.

“The erosion point was a few yards from my home. We had planned to remove our belongings the next day, but erosion engulfed the area by night and we could not remove anything,” said Taposh Kumar, a fisherman of the area.

 “We could not even imagine that the area would go into the river. We have lost everything in one night,” said Prodip Kumar, a villager.

“As my homestead went into the river and I have no place to take shelter, I was compelled to sell my poultry birds and goat at throwaway prices,” said Samiul Islam a farmer.

Locals complained that although Water Development Board (WDB) dumped sandbags at the erosion points, it had little impact on controlling the devastating erosion. The department starts work when erosion hits, but remains silent in the dry season, they said.

The erosion is much more severe than before this year, and if precautionary measures are not taken the remaining areas will go into the river, said Abdus Salam Zakir, chairman of Kamarjani Union Parishad.

Victims of erosion are going to other places after losing their homesteads and croplands, and the remaining families are staying here in utter anxiety, he added.

WDB just dumps sandbags at erosion points, but that is not enough to stop the impact of erosion, the chairman said.

A proposal for controlling erosion has been sent to the higher authorities for approval, said Mahbuber Rahman, executive engineer, WDB Gaibandha.