Someshwary Takes Serious Turn
Erosion devours 50 houses in 3 days
Erosion by Someshwary river, which took a serious turn in the last few days, devours homesteads and croplands in Dakumara village of Netrakona district. Photo: STAR
Erosion has taken a serious turn along the western bank of hill river Someshwary in Durgapur upazila. Sudden swelling of the river following heavy rain in the last few days prompted the erosion, WDB sources said. At least 50 dwelling houses were devoured by the river in last three days rendering more than 200 people homeless. The erosion victims took shelter on roads or went to relatives' houses. During a visit to the area, this correspondent found that people of over 25 families have shifted to safer places. The badly affected areas are Dakumara, Khamarkhali, Shibganj and Birishiri. Local people dumped sand, bamboo and timber to protect their areas but the strong current of the river foiled all their bid. Khamarkhali bazaar was once a big village market in the upazila. But the river has devoured two-thirds of it. Over 500 families used to live at village Shibganj five years ago. But the river engulfed 800 acres of land leaving 350 families landless and homeless during the period, locals said. Contacted, executive engineer of Bangladesh Water Development Board (BWDB), Netrakona Mohammed Manirul Islam told this correspondent that they had started a 24 crore 'Someshwary River Erosion Protection Embankment' project two years ago. "But we could not complete the work due to shortage of fund," he added. River erosion has turned into a common feature in the area in the last few years, but the government is yet to take any effective measure to stop it, said a local elderly.
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