Receiving the notice from Water Development Board (WDB) to free the embankment was like a bolt from the blue, said landless Azizul Islam.

“Where will we go from here as the Dharla river eroded my house and six bighas of farmland three years ago and since then I have been living on the embankment of WDB at Bumka village in Sadar upazila,” said the 75-year-old in tears.

As the embankment was badly affected by recent flood and it might collapse any time, the landless people have to free it by January 20, said Lalmonirhat WDB Executive Engineer Abdullah Al-Mamun.

The engineer hopes that the repair work of the dyke will be completed by next flood. After that, the landless people will be able to live here again according to the direction of WDB, he said.  

“I along with my six family members took shelter on the embankment since my homestead was washed away by flood last year,” said Nur Islam, 58, of Bumka village.

“On Tuesday, I got the WDB notice to free the embankment. Where will we go from here as we have no land of our own?” he said.

Jaheda Khatun, 55, of Karnopur village said, “I'm very much upset after receiving the notice from WDB as we, six family members, have been living here since our farmlands and homestead went into the river.”

“I built a house on the embankment where I have been living since my homestead was damaged by recent flood,” said beggar Meherun Bewa, 67, of Char Shiberkuti village.

Kulaghat UP Chairman Idris Ali said a good number of families were rendered landless due to erosion and flood by the Dharla river and they took shelter on WDB dyke.

Members of 3500 families live on the 18-kilometre-long WDB embankment on the riverbank, said the engineer.