Riverbank erosion in many areas of the country continues, raising a grave concern over the lives, properties and livelihood of people living along the banks.
The erosion continued to devour houses, arable land, academic and religious institutions and other establishments, rendering thousands of people homeless every year.
About 28 square kilometres of land of 13 districts might be devoured in the rivers this year, which is more than the land eroded last year, the Centre for Environmental and Geographic Information Services’ study says, adding the Jamuna, the Ganges and the Padma will aggressively erode their banks in those areas. It has identified 13 districts as high risk spots through a detailed study of satellite data.
Besides, the four kilometres embankments and dams, many points of highways, 3.5 kilometres district headquarters, village roads and large number of shops, houses, religious institutions, educational institutions, hut, bazar and even hospitals are likely to be eroded by the rivers.
Necessary steps should
be taken to build new
embankments
The river side people are in great panic and anxiety as the rivers might devour their homesteads and agriculture land at anytime. We fear thousands of families of the vulnerable districts will be rendered homeless in the coming days. Natural disaster like floods and cyclones cause loss to people but they do not take away their land while erosion takes away everything.
We think as river erosion devours land leaving thousands of people homeless, destroying homesteads and engulfing cropland, the government must take planned and effective measures to prevent such pervasive and ill-affecting fury of rivers. Besides, it should arrange housing for those losing their homes in flood and riverbank erosion alongside rehabilitating the landless and homeless people across the country immediately.
Apart from these, the government will have to take immediate measures for riverbank protection. Necessary steps should be taken to build new embankments and repair the damaged ones.
