After devouring farmland, Dharla now threatens Lalmonirhat town

For 77-year-old Jatramohan Barman in Kurul village of Moghalhat Union under Lalmonirhat Sadar upazila, the Dharla river has become the measure of a lifetime's loss.

Twelve years ago, the river swallowed 10 bighas of his farmland. Last week alone, it claimed another three, leaving just four bighas hanging on the edge of the erosion.

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"Almost everything we owned has been devoured by the river,” he said. “How are we supposed to survive?"

Many other families in the district's Moghalhat and Kulaghat Unions are staring at the same reality.

Over the past week, major erosion has occurred along nearly 60 metres of the Lalmonirhat town protection embankment in Etapota and Kurul villages, while around 350 bighas of cropland in at least eight villages have already been washed away, according to the Bangladesh Water Development Board (BWDB).

Every day, the river continues to claim fresh farmland, leaving hundreds of farming families uncertain about their future.

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Photo: Star

Another farmer, Pulin Chandra Barman of Bumka village, has watched the river erase 15 bighas of land over the past 12 years, including two bighas in just the last week.

"We have no livelihood other than farming," he says. "If the remaining land disappears, we will have nothing left."

Meanwhile, the 18.5-kilometre flood control embankment along the Dharla's right bank protects Lalmonirhat town from flooding, but BWDB officials say around 10.85 kilometres of it have become highly vulnerable after years of continuous erosion.

Residents still remember the disaster of 2017, when around 300 metres of the embankment collapsed at Shiberkuti, allowing floodwaters to inundate Lalmonirhat town.

Roads, neighbourhoods and homes went underwater at the time, and four people, including a child, lost their lives.

"If the embankment cannot be saved this time, not only Lalmonirhat town but also vast surrounding areas will face severe flooding and river erosion," said Kulaghat Union Parishad Chairman Idris Ali.

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The Lalmonirhat town protection embankment, which shields the district town from flooding, has become increasingly vulnerable to river erosion. Photo: Star

He warned that thousands of families could be displaced and infrastructure worth several thousand crore taka damaged.

To prevent another catastrophe, the BWDB has proposed a Tk 300 crore river training project to permanently protect the vulnerable stretch.

Executive Engineer Shunil Kumar said the project has cleared the Pre-ECNEC stage and now awaits final approval from ECNEC.

He warned that if work does not begin within the current fiscal year, the river could inflict extensive damage on the embankment.