Nearly 90 years old, Tofel Uddin has lost his home at least 15 times to the mighty Teesta River over the course of his life.
Eight years ago, after losing everything, he settled in Kellapara village in Chatunama. But the Teesta did not spare him there either. His last remaining shelter was washed away before his eyes at noon last Friday.
Where his homestead stood just moments earlier, a strong current of muddy water now flows. Standing at the edge of his former homestead, Tofel Uddin broke down in tears.
“My homestead has been washed away by the river 13 times, and 60 bighas of farmland have also gone into the Teesta. I bought eight decimals of land and built a home here with my six children. Even at the end of my life, the
Teesta did not spare me. Now I have no option but to jump into the river and die,” he said.
Tofel Uddin’s home was in Kellapara village under Jhunagachh Chapani union of Dimla upazila, Nilphamari. More than 500 families displaced by Teesta erosion settled in the area in 2016.
Over the past week, more than 200 homesteads have been washed away, while more than 100 houses and plots of farmland remain at risk.
A visit to the area found large sections of the riverbank collapsing continuously under the force of the Teesta’s strong current.
In a desperate attempt to save their belongings, residents are hurriedly dismantling their homes and moving whatever they can to safer places. Some are removing tin sheets from their houses, while others are using boats to transport furniture and livestock.
Many families who have lost their homesteads are now spending their days under the open sky.
Jamal Hossain bought six decimals of land with borrowed money and built his homestead there in 2016. He lived there with his wife and four children. Today, nothing remains of it.
Staring blankly towards the river, Jamal raised his hands and said, “That was my home. Everything is gone! This Teesta has destroyed our lives. At this stage of my life, I have nowhere to go with my family.”
According to the Water Development Board, the Teesta is currently flowing below the danger level. However, the current near the riverbank has intensified as the water level has fallen.
In 2023, a ‘Mujib Killa’ flood shelter was built in Kellapara at a cost of nearly Tk2 crore to provide emergency shelter for people living in the chars.
However, the building is now at risk of being destroyed because it was constructed too close to the riverbank. Located only 80 to 90 metres from the river, the shelter could be swallowed by the Teesta at any time.
Local resident Abdul Majid said, “They built the shelter right on the riverbank, but it will not survive without an embankment.
The river has now eroded its way close to the shelter. The building could collapse into the river at any time. Crores of taka in government funds have gone to waste, and our hope of having a shelter is also disappearing.”
Ekaramul Haque Chowdhury, chairman of Jhunagachh Chapani Union Parishad, said the river had reached close to the flood shelter due to continuous erosion.
“The river has come very close to the flood shelter. If immediate measures are not taken, the shelter could disappear into the river at any moment,” he said.
Residents living along the riverbank have expressed anger as neither local elected representatives nor officials of the Water Development Board have visited the area amid the severe erosion.
Locals alleged that authorities are rarely seen when they are in danger. They said the Water Development Board often ends its responsibility by dumping a few sacks of geo-bags as a token measure after the river takes away their homes and land.
They also alleged that although candidates go door-to-door during elections, no one is now checking on the people affected by the erosion.
The affected residents are demanding not just relief or donations but urgent and sustainable measures to protect Kellapara from the Teesta’s erosion, including the construction of durable geo-bag protection and an embankment.
Amitabh Chowdhury, executive engineer of the Dalia Water Development Board, said whirlpools form in the river when the water level falls, causing the riverbank to collapse rapidly.
“We have received information about the erosion situation in the Chatunama-Kellapara area. Steps are being taken to prevent further erosion and protect the shelter,” he said.
Dimla Upazila Nirbahi Officer Imranuzzaman said the local union parishad had been instructed to prepare a list of families displaced by Teesta erosion.
“Government relief assistance has already been provided to the affected families,” he said.
