Hundreds rendered homeless in Brahmaputra shoal

Hundreds of families have been rendered landless and homeless due to the continuous erosion of the Brahmaputra River.

More than 150 families have lost their homesteads and arable lands due to the erosions by Brahmaputra River in Roumari and Char Rajibpur upazilas of Kurigram in the last one week, concerned upazila chairmen Sheikh Abdullah and Akbar Hossain Hiro confirmed the development.

The river is eroding at 14 places including Jadur Char, Sholmari and Char Sholmari unions of Roumari Upazila and Kodalkati and Mohanganj Unions of Char Rajibpur Upazila, said Rafiqul Islam, sub-divisional engineer of Kurigram Water Development Board.

Abdur Rahman, a 90-year-old man from Dhanar Char village in Jadur Char Union of Roumari Upazila, said that he can no longer say how many times in his life he has lost his homestead and arable lands due to the erosions by the Brahmaputra River. In the last one week, half of his homestead has gone into the riverbed. His family is living in a dilapidated house which might perish any time.

"The rest of my homestead might be devoured by the river any moment and I don't know where will I take shelter after losing the homestead," he said.

In an emotion-choked voice the nonagenarian recalls that once he had 20 bighas of arable land. He had a happy family. But now he does not have one decimal of cultivable land. Everything has gone into the womb of the Brahmaputra River.

Amjad Hossain, 60, of Dhanar Char village, said that he has lost his homestead in the Brahmaputra River's erosion and taken shelter at a relative's house with his family. He cannot afford to buy land and build a homestead. The Brahmaputra River has taken away their arable land and homestead and made them landless and homeless, he said.

Abu Jafar, 68, of the same village, told this newspaper that half of the village mosque has gone into the Brahmaputra River and they were saying prayer at the rest half of the mosque. In this village, mosques, madrasas, homesteads, cultivable lands and orchards are being devoured by the ravaging river one by one, he said.

Abdul Hamid, 65, of Kodalkati village in Char Rajibpur upazila, said that 70 percent of his homestead has already been devoured by the river.  By taking help from locals he has removed the movables and shifted to the government road. He lost everything due to the erosion and was living an inhuman life with his family, he said.

Rafiqul Islam, sub-divisional engineer of the Kurigram Water Development Board, said that preparations have been made to put GEO bags in the erosion affected areas to prevent erosions primarily. The permanent work would be done in some of the eroded areas after the monsoon season is over, he said.