A devastating erosion by the river Teesta rendered over four thousand people belonging to about one thousand families of seven villages under three upazilas of Lalmonrhat district during the last three days.
The Chondimari spar under Mohishkhocha union of Aditmari upazila is under the threat of Teesta erosion as about 200 meters of its protection dam has already been damaged in the erosion.
Officials of the Water Development Board (WDB), Lalmonirhat said if the Chondimari spar were damaged by the erosion of the mighty Teesta, then several thousand families would be rendered homeless, and many crop lands and important establishments would be washed away in Mohishkhocha union of Aditmari upazila.
Lalmonirhat sub-divisional engineer Mizanur Rahman said that the local WDB had taken all necessary steps to protect the Chondimari spar from the Teesta erosion.
“We have been dumping sand packed in synthetic bags into the water to protect the spar since Saturday night,” said Mizanur Rahman.
The erosion affected villages are: Sindurna, Holdibari and Paruliya of Hatibandha upazila, Votmari of Kaliganj upazila and Chondimari and Gonordhon of Aditmari upazila.
The erosion affected people at Holdibari village of Hatibandha upazila told this Correspondent that the erosion by the Teesta had taken a severe turn here during the last two to three days devouring one house after another.
Union Parishad (UP) chairman of Sindurna under Hatibandha upazila Khotib Uddin said on Sunday evening that the erosion of the Teesta river had already eroded many homesteads, crops land and gardens in some villages under his union.
People of the villages of the Teesta river basin had become frustrated over their livelihood because of the recent floods and erosions, the UP chairman said.
While visiting some erosion-hit areas on Monday this Correspondent found that the erosion and flood affected people had taken shelter on different embankments, school-college fields and flood centers. They are leading a subhuman life there for want of food and drinking water. The people, who have been rendered homeless due to the erosion and flood, also became jobless.
Local UP chairmen and members have already sought help from the concerned government authority and the NGOs.
Hatibandha Upazila Nirbahi Officer (UNO) Ashrafuzzaman said that the Teesta erosion had rendered some villages of Hatibandha upazila homeless. Local UP chairmen and members prayed for help from at his office. “I have already sought aid for the erosion hit people to the Deputy Commissioner (DC) of Lalmonirhat,” the UNO said.
When contacted, deputy commissioner Mokhlesur Rahman Sarker said fund is not available at his office to take any immediately steps in aid of the erosion affected people.
The DC office has already sent a letter to the ministry concerned for approving a fund in aid of the erosion victims of different villages in Lalmonirhat district.
