Dhunat dyke collapses, homesteads devoured

The Jamuna continues to erode homesteads and farmlands following collapse of its embankment at Boroitola village in Dhunat upazila of Bogra district. Photo: Star

Around 700 metres of Jamuna River embankment collapsed in Bhandarbari union under Dhunat upazila in the last one week as erosion by the river has taken an alarming turn in the area.
The river devoured at least 60 homesteads and 40 acres of farmland at Koiyagari and Boroitola villages, affecting over 2,000 people during the period.
While visiting Koiyagari and Boroitola yesterday, this correspondent saw the people leaving the two villages, fearing further onslaught of the river.
Water Development Board (WDB) sources said over 40 houses in the union went into the river in September this year following collapse of a portion of the embankment.
WDB started embankment protection work last week under a TK 32 crore project, but a large portion of the project site has gone into the river in the last two or three days, sources added.
Ashutosh Gosh of Koiyagari village and Ramjan Ali of Boroitola village told the correspondent that they have been under constant threat of erosion since September this year.
Contacted, Atiqul Karim, Chairman of Bhandarbari Union Parishad, said erosion hit at least 40 houses at the two villages in September, rendering more than 100 villagers homeless.
Embankment protection work was going on at a slow pace and necessary measures to protect the work site from onslaught by the river were not taken prior to the start of work, alleged the chairman.
Md Abdul Motaleb, sub-divisional engineer of WDB, said erosion has taken a serious turn due to fall in water level of the river. “We are trying to check further onslaught by dumping sandbags in the project site,” he added.