Jamuna devours over hundred houses in a week
The Jamuna river took a serious turn and devoured over a hundred dwelling houses in Bhuanpur upazila in the last couple of days .
Tangail Water Development Board (WDB) sources said the mighty river turns furious since the very beginning of the monsoon this year.
Among many other affected villagers, dwelling house of Khalek Miah of Chituliapara village also collapsed in the river a few days ago.
"I can't see well due to my poor eye sight. Now I have no ability to shift somewhere else at this age," said the 80-year-old.
Elderly Razzak Miah of the village said "I came here about a decade ago after my previous dwelling house at Konabari Char was devoured by the Jamuna."
"I've been passing sleepless nights for the last few days, fearing there will be nothing left if the river devours my house once again," he said.
Another villager Amin Chakdar said four structures of his house have already been devoured by the river while the rest may go to the river anytime.
More than 100 dwelling houses of the village have gone into the river in the last couple of days as the water level in the Jamuna river keeps receding, Noor Hossain of the village said.
Locals said erosion hit the village during the flood couple of months ago, but villagers checked the erosion then by dumping sand bags.
They also urged the WDB authorities to dump GEO bags to prevent the erosion, but WDB did not take any measures in this regard.
Moreover, nearly 200 houses were devoured by the river last year, they added.
During a recent visit to the village this correspondent saw riverside villagers were shifting their structures after erosion hit about 500-metre area of the village.
Erosion occurred at Kostapara, Khanurbari and Bhalkutia villages that left several hundred families homeless last year, said Ovijit Ghosh, a rights activist in Bhuanpur.
Local peoples' demand for a permanent embankment still remains a far cry, he added.
Bhuanpur Upazila Nirbahi Officer (UNO) Ishrat Jahan said she informed the WDB officials about the erosion and they already started dumping GEO bags to check it.
Construction of a permanent embankment is also under process, she added. Tangail WDB Executive Engineer Sazzad Hossain said emergency measures have been taken to protect the erosion-hit areas.
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