Surma erosion displaces 100 families in three days

The Surma devouring homesteads and its embankment in Gouripur village in Kanaighat upazila.Photo: STAR

Over 100 families were displaced in Kanaighat in three days due to massive erosion by Surma river.
The river devoured their homesteads and croplands in Lakshmipur and Gouripur villages.
The severe erosion started all of a sudden at night on the Eid day. UNO Tofayel Islam visited the affected areas and informed Water Development Board officials.
Nasirul Haque of Gouripur village said, after midnight, the erosion started with a big bang as an enormous chunk of landmass collapsed into the river.
“I had no option but to leave my paternal house as the landslide coupled with erosion took away four structures into the river in about an hour”, he said.
Abdul Malik of the same village said, “Erosion first devoured my vegetable field and cow shed. Seeing cracks in the floor of my house, we just burst out with whatever we could take along”.
Same was the story of Nazim Uddin, Fakir Miah and Siddique Miah of Lakshmipur village. The river also devoured eight dwelling houses in nearby Rajpur-Chaltabari area in the same upazila.
In bordering Zakiganj, villagers were bewildered as several hundred dwelling houses were devoured by the Surma in last four days, locals there said.
Villagers there are passing days amid apprehension of further erosion as the authorities are yet to take any step to stop the sudden erosion.