Thousands face wrath of Kumar river

About 15 thousand people of 10 villages have been facing boundless sufferings since the end of August when almost half of the width of a vital road collapsed into the Kumar river in Sadar upazila.

Indiscriminate lifting of sand from the river, over the last two and a half years, has caused the collapse of nearly 52 metres of the road in Shobharampur village during incessant rain on August 28, alleged villagers.

The half kilometre-long road is used by about two thousand people of 10 villages every day, they also said. 

During a recent visit to the area, this correspondent came across many who were taking extreme risk while using the damaged road to transport patients and essential commodities on rickshaw-vans.

Kamal Sheikh, a battery-run auto-rickshaw driver from Gandia area, said, "It's been really difficult since a large section of the road collapsed into the river. Now I have to walk an additional six kilometres to get home from the garage."

Amol Kumar Malo, a senior citizen from Shobharampur village, said, "Illegal sand-lifting has to be blamed for the erosion of the Kumar river. The river is now on a rampage in the area, as a huge amount of sand was lifted from it last year."

Rickshaw puller Sheikh Jalil said, "It's really scary to cross the area as the river has eroded away most part of the road already."

Contacted, Partha Protim Saha, executive engineer of Bangladesh Water Development Board in Faridpur, said, "I visited the spot. The way the road has been damaged, there's no scope for its repair."

The cause of the problem lies in unplanned lifting of sand from the river by criminals, he also said.