Severe erosion by the Brahmaputra River has swallowed around 50 homesteads and several acres of farmland in two neighbourhoods of Lakshmipur village in Jamalpur’s Islampur Upazila over the past month, leaving more than 100 families fearing they could be next.
A school, madrasa, mosque and local market are also under threat as the erosion continues along a roughly 1.5-kilometre stretch of the riverbank.
Among those facing the crisis is elderly Chandra Banu, a mother of nine whose home has been displaced eight times by the Brahmaputra.
Having repeatedly moved from one place to another as the river consumed her land, she now fears losing what remains of her home.
“We moved three times in a single year. We moved from here to another neighbourhood, then from there somewhere else, and finally came here. All our land is gone and now our home is going too,” she said.
“We want nothing from the government except our home. They should protect it with piling so that the river cannot take it away.”
Lakshmipur village is gradually disappearing as the river continues to eat away at its banks. Residents are hurriedly dismantling and moving their houses as they watch their land disappear before their eyes.
Locals claimed that 30 to 40 houses and around 50 bighas of farmland had been lost to the river in recent days. Many families left homeless by the erosion have moved elsewhere.
They alleged that geobags being dumped along the riverbank have done little to halt the erosion.
Aminul, another affected resident, said he had been displaced around eight times.
“Now there is no land left. The little land we had is gone. Where will we build a home, how will we survive and where will we keep our cattle? We have nowhere to go,” he said, appealing to the government for help with housing.
Another resident, Chan Mia, said 30 to 40 houses had disappeared into the river within just a few days.
“Around 50 bighas of farmland have also been destroyed. Many of those who lost their homes have become homeless and moved elsewhere,” he said.
Residents said continued erosion could soon threaten Lakshmipur Haji Phul Mahmud High School, a madrasa, a mosque and the local market, putting around 150 families at risk.
They demanded the construction of a permanent embankment to protect the community and its key establishments.
Md Saiful Islam, a resident of Lakshmipur, said around 150 families and a population of about 400 would face serious risks if the erosion continued.
He said Lakshmipur Haji Phul Mahmud High School and the madrasa were also under threat from the advancing river.
Russell Mia, another resident, said the erosion began around a month ago and that geobags were being dumped in the area but had failed to stop it.
“We appeal to the government to arrange piling to protect us,” he said.
The Islampur Upazila administration and the Water Development Board said emergency temporary protection measures were being taken in the affected areas while the situation was being monitored.
Islampur Upazila Nirbahi Officer Shah Md Zubaer said he had visited the affected area and was maintaining constant communication with the Water Development Board.
Geobags are already being dumped at several locations, and the work is expected to be accelerated, he said.
Md Nakibuzzaman Khan, executive engineer of the Jamalpur Water Development Board, said emergency protection work covering 100 metres in Lakshmipur East Para had been undertaken at a cost of Tk30 lakh to protect nearby establishments.
A further 100 metres of protection work in Lakshmipur West Para is being processed on an urgent basis and will begin soon, he said.
