Dudhkumar erosion makes 75 families homeless

Erosion by the Dudhkumar River took a serious turn, rendering at least 75 families homeless and devouring around 100 acres of cropland at Kumriarpar and Shalmara villages in Nageshwari upazila of the district in the last several days.

At least nine institutions and structures are facing erosion threat as the river is flowing near Kaliganj Health and Family Planning Centre and Kaliganj Bazar, said Nur Islam, chairman of Kaliganj Union Parishad.

The threatened structures include Khelarmat High School, Shalmara Dakhil Madrasa, Khelarmat Government Primary School, Kaliganj Government Primary School, Kaliganj Health and Family Planning Centre, Kaliganj Union Parishad, Kaliganj mosque, Khelarmat mosque, Kaliganj temple and over 350 shops of Kaliganj Bazar.

During a recent visit to the areas, this correspondent found many villagers shifting their houses to safer places in fear of further erosion.

Shujan Ali, 65, of Kumriarpar village, said, “I have left my houses for safer places as my five bighas of cropland already went into the river due to the erosion during the period.”

“About ten bighas of my cropland were devoured by the river,” said Samsul Haque, assistant teacher of Khelarmat High School at Kumriarpar village.

Despite repeated pleas, local Water Development Board (WDB) is yet to take any initiative to prevent the erosion, said the UP chairman.

Contacted, Motiar Rahman, sub divisional engineer of WDB, said they already wrote to the higher authorities for fund to start work to thwart the erosion but yet to no effect.