Erosion renders 70 families homeless in Kalia of Narail
The Naboganga River continues to erode homesteads and farmland in two unions under Kalia upazila of Narail district. Photo shows the river about to devour Hamidpur Union Parishad office at Hamidpur Bazar in the upazila.Photo: STAR
Erosion by Naboganga River has taken a serious turn in Kalia upazila in the district, rendering around 70 families homeless in the last two weeks. With the recession of water level in the Naboganga, the river started devouring large areas of cultivable lands, trees and structures in two unions under the upazila. About 180 more families, their lands and homesteads, Debipur Govt. Primary School and Hamidpur Union Parishad building face serious threat by the river. The erosion started three years ago. But last year, it took an alarming turn devouring a tract of cultivable land and leaving a good number of people landless, mostly marginal farmers. Several hundred families of Salamabad and Hamidpur unions in Kalia upazila of Narail have shifted their houses to safer places due to severe erosion by Naboganga in the last one month. While visiting the erosion hit areas on Monday, this correspondent saw Debipur people hurriedly removing their houses as Naboganga river was eroding the village fast. A large number of erosion victims could not shift their houses while many families were yet to get any support, either from government or from non-government sources, villagers said. The affected areas are Debipur, Noldanga, Bahirdanga and Beel Baus of Salamabad union, and Bhompur, Mochandopur, Bisnupur, Babupur and Gazirhat Bazzar area of Hamidpur union. Locals said about 70 families have been displaced in the last two weeks while the erosion now threatens more than 180 other families. Nikhil Das, 50, of Debipur village in Salamabad union, now landless by erosion, said “I had five acres of cropland. The river has devoured all my lands. Now I am staying with my family on others' land". UNO of Kalia Mohammad Faruq said he visited the erosion affected areas and informed the matter to higher authorities. "The erosion victims will get help if the authorities sanction fund for them," he said. Contacted, executive engineer of local Water Development Board (WDB) Zulfikar Ali said he had nothing to do at the moment. We are preparing a design which will be submitted to higher authorities for preventive steps and funds, he added.
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