The water levels of all rivers in Kurigram have risen due to heavy rainfall and water surging from upstream, causing river erosion in Kurigram.
According to the Water Development Board (WDB), the continuous rise in river levels caused erosion in several areas, including Kodalkati in Rajibpur upazila, Char Shoulmari in Roumari upazila, and parts of Thetrai union in Ulipur upazila. In Kodalkati, paved roads and several electric poles have already been devoured by the river.
During a visit to Char Shoulmari and Kodalkati, a Kurigram correspondent saw residents dismantling their homes as erosion rapidly approached. Since the entire village was under threat, people were unable to help each other.
Saher Banu, 60, a local resident, said, "At night, the river roars ferociously. We are worried the house might collapse into the river anytime. My son works in a garment factory in Dhaka, only women and children are home. We don't know where or how to go."
Another resident, Khayrat Zaman, added, "We have lost our home in the river. Now, we are just surviving by working as day labourers in Cumilla and Tangail. We have lost two houses. Now, we don't have land on which to rebuild the house. For the time being we have propped a house with support by the road."
As water levels have risen, the river current has started to press against the banks. Over the last three days, approximately 15 houses in Thetrai Union, 12 houses in Sonapur of Char Shoulmari Union, and around 20 houses in Paikantari area of Kodalkati Union have been lost due to erosion. Along with that, nearly 50 acres of agricultural land have also gone into the river, the correspondent reports.
Rakibul Hasan, executive engineer of the WDB in Kurigram, said, "Erosion has occurred in several places in Kurigram."
Mentioning that the authority has taken immediate action, he added, geo-bag placement is ongoing in Roumari's Char Shoulmari and Rajibpur's Kodalkati.
"In the second phase, more allocations have been received. We are hopeful we can prevent further erosion," he further said asserting the concern of disruption in the work due to high water levels.
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