Dharla continues to devour farmlands, orchards

The River Dharla devoured agricultural land and orchards at six villages of two unions in Sadar upazila of the district in the last five days.

At least 300 bighas of crop land, four banana and litchi orchards, and three bamboo clusters have been washed away in Etapota, Kurul, Shiberkuti, Bongram villages of Mogholhat union, and Kulaghat and Char Kulaghat villages of Kulaghat union, affected people said.

Mansur Ali of Etapota village said bamboo clusters on his one bigha of land have already gone into the river. "My three bighas of land are under threat and may be devoured by the river at any time," he said.

"My two bighas of land have already been washed away in the last two days, and it is continuing," said Nabir Hossain at the same village.
Soleman Ali, a farmer of Kurul village, said he has lost his banana orchard on six bighas of land due to erosion in the last five days. "If the erosion of the river isn't checked very soon, it will engulf many farmlands, orchards and even homesteads in our village," he said.

Habibur Rahman, chairman of Mogholhat Union Parishad, and Idris Ali, chairman of Kulaghat Union Parishad, said they have informed the Water Development Board (WDB) officials about the river erosion, but to no effect.

Farooque Hossain, Sub-Assistant Engineer of WDB in Kurigram Zone, said some development works are going on to check the Dharla River erosion at Mogholhat and Kulaghat union.