Nagarbari terminal faces Jamuna erosion threat
Water Development officials with the help of locals put sand bags in eroded portion to stop onslaught by the river Jamuna in Bera upazila. The site is only around 300 feet from Nagarbari terminal.Photo: STAR
More than two hundred families have shifted their houses and over 500 acres of croplands have gone under water during the last three weeks as erosion by Jamuna River has taken a serious turn in Bera upazila under the district. The river port terminal at Nagarbari, the largest fertiliser depot in the northern region, is also under threat as most of Nagarbari-Notakhola road has gone under water, port sources said. "In Nagarbari, over 350 large warehouses containing fertiliser worth about Tk 150 core are facing the threat of erosion as the river is now only 300 feet away. Immediate step is needed to protect Nagarbari port,” said Puran Varenga Union Parishad Chairman Md Rafikul Islam, also secretary of Nagarbari Port Terminal Traders Association. Water Development Board (WDB) has dumped only 1500 sand bags to prevent erosion at Nagarbari but it is too inadequate, official sources said. At least 20 villages beside the Jamuna River in two unions of Bera upazila are facing the erosion threat, locals said. Nagarbari, Raghunathpur, Protappur, Gonopotdia, Char Panchakola and Kazirhat are some of the badly affected villages. Jamuna River has devoured at least 300 acres of crop fields in Char Panchakola village where 120 families have shifted their houses during the last three weeks, said Bera Upazila Parishad Chairman Md Azizul Haque Arzu. A primary school and a mosque in this village are also under the threat of erosion. Over 60 families at Kazirhat and Notakhola villages in the upazila also shifted their houses and 150 acres of cultivated lands have gone under water due to the erosion, the upazila chairman said. In Gonopotdiar village, 10 houses were shifted recently due to the erosion, he said. Contacted, Bera WDB Sub Divisional Engineer Md Anisur Rahman said, "A large project covering 1.5 kilometre area from Nagarbri to Raghunathpur has been taken to ensure protection of Nagarbari. The project will start after the rainy season. The emergency work will be conducted this year."
For all latest news, follow The Daily Star's Google News channel.
Comments