A well-known “All-Weather Road” in the haor region of Austagram upazila in Kishoreganj is facing severe threat from river erosion, with nearly one kilometre of the Bangalpara–Noagaon road already at risk of being washed away.
Farmland and electricity poles along the road have been swallowed by the river, leaving the nearby villages of Noagaon and Usmanpur without electricity for the past five days.
Locals allege that delays in timely intervention have worsened the damage, while the Local Government Engineering Department (LGED) and the Water Development Board (WDB) are now blaming each other over responsibility for the situation.
The 7-kilometre road was built around seven years ago by LGED at a cost of Tk440 million, with an additional Tk130 million currently being spent on renovation work. However, erosion continued even during the repair work.
A resident of Bangalpara, Alamgir Hossain Alam, said LGED was informed as soon as erosion began. “They visit the site regularly because repair work is ongoing, yet no timely action was taken,” he said.
Union Parishad Chairman Moniruzzaman Rustam said a 1,000-metre bridge over the Meghna River is under construction at the end of the road at a cost of Tk1.77 billion, which is expected to improve year-round connectivity once completed. “But now that hope is under threat due to erosion,” he said.
Residents of Noagaon said the electricity outage has made daily life difficult, with people unable to charge mobile phones or communicate with relatives. “We are using candles and kerosene lamps at night,” said Hiron Mia.
Another resident, Islam Uddin, warned of serious risks for emergency patients, saying damaged roads could delay access to hospitals.
LGED officials say they informed the Water Development Board through letters after the damage worsened, but allegations have emerged that one of the letters was backdated.
However, WDB officials said they received no formal warning before 7 May.
Kishoreganj WDB Executive Engineer Sajjad Hossain said early information would have allowed quicker intervention. “The erosion has now intensified, but we are coordinating with higher authorities to take urgent measures,” he said.
