Padma Erosion Leaves 290 Families Helpless in Two Months

Mehedi Hasan, from Shariatpur

Ms. Nargis Akter of Majhikandi village lost her home to erosion 12 years ago, when the Padma swallowed it. She then took shelter with her family in Alam Khankandi village on the north bank of the river. After a dozen years, the Padma has taken that home too, along with 10 bighas of farmland. Now Ms. Nargis has left the village again with her family, and she does not know where to go.

Like Ms. Nargis, 290 families have lost their homes and farmland to the Padma and have nothing left. The families lost their land in the erosion of the last two months. Having lost her last means of living, Ms. Nargis sat sadly on the bank of the Padma on Sunday and wept.

Crying, she said, “We were a middle class farming family. Twelve years ago the Padma took everything, but we stood up again. We farmed the land and lived happily. Now that is gone too. I have lost my house and my farmland, and I am walking toward an unknown place. I do not know what fate holds.”

Sources at the Shariatpur Water Development Board say East Naodoba Union of Zajira upazila lies on the bank of the Padma. A char rose from the river in Painpara mouza on the north bank 30 years ago, and people settled there. Six villages of this char make up Ward 2 and Ward 3 of Naodoba Union Parishad. About 5,500 people live there.

Last year, the Padma erosion swallowed four villages of Ward 2: Ahmmad Majhikandi, Mangal Majhikandi, Alim Uddin Bapari Kandi and Majhikandi. At that time, 1,500 families lost their homes. The 52 No. Painpara Government Primary School and Rezia Amin Government Primary School also went into the river. This year, erosion began in August, when the monsoon started, in the Alam Khankandi area of Ward 3. In the last two months, 290 families have become homeless.

At least 5,000 acres of farmland in Painpara mouza have gone into the river in one year. The 122 No. Altaf Khan Government Primary School is now under threat of erosion.

In 2021, builders made a paved road of 4.5 kilometres on the char. Authorities also supplied electricity to the six villages of the char through a submarine cable under the Padma. They gave power to 1,200 customers through a 30 kilometre transmission line, at a cost of 4.5 crore taka. Erosion has swallowed 22 kilometres of the transmission line and 4 kilometres of the paved road.

The Padma flows on all sides of the char. People can reach it only by boat. On Sunday, a visit to Alam Khankandi village of the char showed people moving their houses out of fear of erosion. Families whose homes are gone have taken shelter on the road and on farmland. Many are rushing to find shelter in different areas of Zajira on the south bank and Munshiganj on the north bank. The Water Development Board has taken no step to stop the erosion.

Local Member of Parliament Mr. Saeed Ahmed gave rice, lentils and dry food to 273 families hit by erosion. Chairman of East Naodoba Union Parishad Mr. Altaf Hossain Khan said the Painpara char lies on the east side of the Padma Bridge. He said erosion has hit the char for the last 3 to 4 years since the bridge was built. He said, “We asked the Water Development Board many times to act, but they did nothing. Now 2 to 3 thousand people have lost their homes.”

Mr. Kuddus Bapari has faced erosion 4 times in the last 30 years. On Saturday he was moving his house and his needed things away because the river came close to his home. He said, “I do not know where I will go. We have no place left to live. From now on we are refugees. The name of our village may stay on paper, but we will have no place to put our feet.”

Executive Engineer of the Water Development Board Mr. Milton Hossain said, “I know that erosion is happening in the Alam Khankandi area. We have told senior officials that people are losing their homes there. The Ministry of Water Resources is not carrying out any urgent work to protect the char area.”