Pabna Correspondent:

Frightful soil erosion by the Jamuna River is wreaking onslaughts along a vast tract of land in Bera upazila of Pabna district, putting existence of the riverside dwelling houses and other structures under threat.

As the river erosion has continued for the past two months in ferocity, the riverside residents are passing days amid constant fear.

The disaster has put a large number of structures including graveyard, mosques, madrasas, and numerous houses and agricultural land under threat.

Locals alleged that unauthorised sand extraction from the riverbed by some influential quarters by using dredgers has triggered the untimely soil erosion on the Jamuna riverbank.

In order to assess the damage caused by the sand extraction, officials from the local Water Development Board (WDB) office have recently visited the erosion-hit river point and sent their personal views to the higher authorities.

The Jamuna River flows past Neolaipara village in Notun Bharenga union of Bera upazila. Untimely river erosion has caused widespread damage in the village’s char area.

Not only Neolaipara village, the same picture is also seen at the neighbouring Notun Batiakhara and Marichapara villages.

Around 1,000 families live in these three villages extending along the Jamuna riverbanks. In the past two years, about 300 families have lost their homes to the river erosion. About 1,000 bighas of land have also entered the gorge of the gluttonous river. This year, erosion has occurred in the Jamuna River long before the monsoon begins.

Local sources said new shoals (chars) are being eroded by the strong current changing the river’s course as erosion by the Jamuna River has continued for two consecutive months.

This situation has left the riverside residents distraught.

They said that the erosion is gradually advancing towards the human habitats, threatening mosques, madrasas, graves and cemeteries.

Imdadul Haque, a resident of Neolaipara village, said that the river was far away before.

It is coming closer as it keeps eroding soil. The current of the river was also far away.It is changing its course and flowing into the riverbank areas. As a result, erosion has started taking awful turn.

Saleha Khatun and Majiron Bewa said that if the river erosion continues like this, a large number of structures including houses, mosques, madrasas, and cemeteries will go into the river’s gorge shortly. If the government does not do the needful, everything will be lost, they added.

They demanded immediate measures on the authorities’ part to prevent erosion. Aftab Hossain, Rafiqul Islam, residents of Batiakhara village, and Matin Hossain of Neolaipara village said that in the past two years, about 1,000 bighas of land have been lost to the river.

About 300 families have lost their homes. Some unscrupulous elements are extracting sand freely, placing dredgers in the river- a wrongdoing that needs to be stopped.

Sudhanshu Kumar Sarkar, superintendent engineer in Pabna Water Development Board (WDB) “We have already sent a note to the higher authorities seeking permission to work. We have also spoken to the higher authorities verbally.”

He also said, “The erosion-affected area was inspected again on Thursday. During the inspection, permission was obtained to implement the work after talking to the higher authorities.We will hire a contractor very soon and start work soon.”