Erosion by Jamuna Turns Serious
300 families homeless in a week in Gaibandha
Turbulent Jamuna devoured the house of Ziadanga Registered Primary School in Gazaria union of Fulchhari upazila under Gaibandha district on Thursday as river erosion has taken a serious turn in the area during the last one week. Photo: STAR
With the rise of water level in Jamuna River, erosion has intensified at different places of three unions under Fulchhari upazila in Gaibandha district, rendering 300 families homeless within a week. Most affected areas are Sankibhaga, Ziadanga and Kamalerpara in Gajaria union under Fulchhari upazila, where 150 dwelling huts along with 500 acres of cultivable land have gone into the riverbed. Ziadanga Registered Primary School, arranged to be used as a polling centre for the July 2 union parishad election, was eroded away by the surging water on Thursday. "Last year the schoolhouse remained a quarter kilometre away from the erosion point of the Jamuna, but the erosion took a serious turn at the end of last rainy season and then again since February this year. Finally the erosion destroyed the schoolhouse at the end of last week," said Mokshed Ali Mandol, a member of school managing committee. Now the school committee is trying to set up a makeshift shed nearby to prevent dropout of the schoolchildren, he added. There are 1,734 voters enrolled at this centre and most of the voters need to cross a tributary for casting votes, said Abdus Samad, a voter of that area. Meanwhile, voters of ward No 6 appealed to the Fulchhari Upazila Nirbahi Officer (UNO) to set up an alternative polling centre at local Sayeda Islam Forkania Madrasa, but the matter is yet to be settled. Admitting the situation, Fulchhari UNO Hasan Maruf said a new polling centre will be set up at a suitable place shortly. The school was situated one kilometre from the riverbank five years ago and LGED in 2007allocated Tk 22 lakh for construction of the schoolhouse comprising six rooms, but the river erosion since the last two years finally resulted in its disappearance, said Mohiuddin Ahmed, upazila education officer. However arrangement is being made to set up a temporary schoolhouse at a new place for continuation of local children's education, he added. Erosion has also continued in other areas of Udakhali and Uria unions where dwelling huts, lands and trees are being devoured by the surging water.
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