S Dilip Roy

In just one month, the sand-filled geo bags, dumped to prevent river erosion in Teesta shoal, are washing away.

Several hundred people, who were recently affected by erosion of the Dharla river, formed a human chain for an hour on the river bank in Phulbari upazila in Kurigram this (September 11, 2022) noon demanding a dam to prevent erosion.

Biologically, she is a mother of two. But  she is known to be a mother to 74 children, all of whom are growing up and getting all their needs fulfilled under her care.

When Bangladesh and India were about to ink a deal on sharing the Teesta water in 2010, people living by the river in Rangpur region dreamt of better days.

Farmers in Lalmonirhat are losing interest in tea cultivation as a lack of processing facilities in the area is preventing them from raising enough capital to sustain the business, according to growers and traders.

Umed Ali, a 66-year-old boatman from Kurigram’s Baraibari is a popular figure in his village.

Many families in Rangpur division have been in the trade of making paper flowers for a long time and many of them have changed their luck.

Sushil Chandra Monidas (42) learned the craft of making musical instruments from his father Kalachan Monidas when he was 12 years old. When he lost his father at the age of 20, he took over the business.

On the banks of the Brahmaputra stands a primary school in a remote char at Chilmari upazila of Kurigram.

Six years ago, Shyamoli Akhter used to be a playful seventh-grader -- who loved studying, playing, and roaming around the village with her head held high.

Zinc-enriched paddy cultivation is expanding day by day across five districts of the Rangpur division thanks to increased demand for the crop given its immunity-boosting properties. 

Rokeya Bewa (56), a flood victim from Hatia union of Kurigram’s Ulipur upazila, waited for the Vulnerable Group Feeding (VGF) rice on Eid day. However, she did not get it and had to borrow half a kilo of rice to cook a meal.

Most of the flood victims in Ulipur upazila of Kurigram are yet to receive their share of the flood rations even though 863 metric tonnes of of Vulnerable Group Feeding (VGF) rice was allotted for 86,315 poor families on the occasion of Eid-ul-Azha.

With water receding, the grim scenario of damages caused by flood is becoming visible in Kurigram and Lalmonirhat. Around 24,000 farmers have been affected in the two districts. Crops worth Tk 134 crore on 16,383 hectares of land were damaged, according to the department of agriculture.

Villagers in Kurigram are putting up a 50-meter bamboo wall to control the flow of water in the Brahmaputra River to save their village Durgam Porar Char from flooding.

Cattle farmers, particularly those from flood-hit areas, are in fear of incurring losses from the sale of sacrificial animals ahead of the upcoming Eid-ul-Azha due to flooding, rising prices of cattle feed and a lower number of customers.

Crops on around 16,383 hectares of land have been damaged due to floods in Lalmonirhat and Kurigram districts. “Aush” paddy, jute, maize, nuts and various vegetables have been damaged in the floodwater.

The flood situation has started improving in Kurigram and Lalmonirhat districts as the water level of major rivers is decreasing. However, this has led to a new issue.

The recent floods in northern Bangladesh are now affecting farmers in five districts of the greater Rangpur region as significant amounts of land in the economically disadvantaged area have gone underwater.

Thousands of flood victims in the northern districts continue to fight for survival with little access to relief materials, and the situation is unlikely to improve today.