Erosion by Padma, Jamuna takes serious turn in Pabna

Erosion by the Padma and Dharla rivers has taken a serious turn in Bera and Sujanagar upazilas and continued devouring more fresh areas every day.

As a result, thousands of people of different villages in the two upazilas became homeless.

Besides, many roads, houses and vast tracts of croplands have been washed away as the two major rivers continued swelling in the last three weeks.

During a visit to Notakhola and Khanpuran areas in Bera upazila a few days ago this correspondent saw about 200-metre of a concrete road at Khanpuran village washed away due to huge pressure of water in the Jamuna. 

Jamuna had engulfed the entire Notakhola village and Notakhola Ferry Terminal last year and has been getting more wider, devouring houses, croplands and roads at Khanpuran, Char Panchakola, Mohonganj and Ghop Shilonda villages in the last three weeks, Water Development Board (WDB) Bera Sub-Divisional Executive Engineer Abdul Hamid said.

The water level in Jamuna is increasing rapidly and already devoured 200 metre Notakhola-Dayrampur road at Khanpuran village in the first week of July, Jane Alam of Khanpuran village said, adding that, “Within 24 hours, Aman paddy on my three bighas of land was washed away by the river.”

“The river is only 500 meter from my residence,” Alam said, adding that the Ankara Tower, the control tower of national grid’s power transmission line, at Khanpuran village is also facing erosion threat.

If the tower is damaged, power supply to the national grid will be disrupted as well, he said, adding that villagers are trying to protect the area by setting bamboos and dumping sand bags beside the erosion-hit Notakhola-Dayarampur road.

According to the sources at WDB, not only the Jamuna, but the mighty Padma has also taken a serious turn at Borkhapur, Raipur, Gupinpur, Naruhati, Kanchan Bandh, Hashempur and Khalilpur areas in Sujanagar upazila, devouring many houses and croplands.

Sujanagar Upazila Parishad Chariman Mohammad Shahinuzzaman Shahin said several hundred people of different areas in the upazila have become homeless due to erosion by the Padma.

The actual number of the erosion-hit people could not be ascertained as the river continued devouring houses and croplands in the last three weeks.

WDB Executive Engineer Hamid said due to onrush of water from the upstream, both Padma and Jamuna are swelling up, eroding different vulnerable areas along the two major rivers.

“We have already dumped over 30,000 sand bags in the affected areas and the protection work is continuing in different areas,” Hamid said.