Erosion threatens to devour four Gaibandha unions

Kutcha houses at Bhasherpara village in Fulchhari upazila, Gaibandha on verge of extinction due to unabated erosion by the Brahmaputra. PHOTO: STAR

The erosion has intensified in recent days due to increase in water level in the Brahmaputra basin following onrush of water from the upper catchment.

The badly affected unions are Kanchipara, Fazlupur, Uria and Gajaria. Last week the river devoured over 500 dwelling houses including a vast crop land.

Tap here to add The Daily Star as a trusted source

In Kanchipara union only, over 200 dwelling houses disappeared from the river bank within two days rendering 150 families homeless.

Kanchipara Union Parishad (UP) chairman Akbar Hossain told this correspondent on April 20 that the Brahmaputra devoured seven out of 13 villages in his union only. The villages are Sayedpur, Resulpur, Bhasherpara, Balashi, Saterkandi, Notidanga and Harudanga.

The Brahmaputra is fast approaching towards Gaibandha town which is now only four kilometre off the river bank.

However, the Executive Engineer of the Bangladesh Water Development Board (BWDB), Gaibandha told this correspondent that they placed a 200 crore taka master plan to the higher authorities to combat erosion along the western bank of the Brahmaputra. But the master plan is yet to be finalised, he added.