Erosion renders 122 families homeless in Faridpur
Rain-fed Madhumati River devours areas including Kamarkhali-Bakshipur embankment at Gayeshpur village in Madhukhali upazila of Faridpur district, right, a few villagers shift a wooden house to a safer place following continued erosion for the last four days.Photo: STAR
Erosion by the Madhumati River has taken an alarming turn, rendering at least 122 families of Gayeshpur village in Madhukhali upazila of Faridpur district homeless in the last four days since Wednesday. The river has also washed away farmland and homesteads at the village under Kamarkhali Sadar union and around 182 feet areas of Kamarkhali-Gayeshpur-Bakshipur embankment during the period. River water entered the damaged portion of the embankment, inundating Gayeshpur and two other villages in the union. Talking to this correspondent on Thursday, Kamarkhali Union Parishad (UP) Chairman Mohammad Lutfor Rahman said, "Erosion by the Madhumati has taken a serious turn due to downpour in the last two days and onrush of water from the upstream”. Iran Chowdhury, former chairman of the same union said more areas of the dyke are on the verge of collapse as breaches have developed at several points. "If the embankment further collapses, more villages in Madhukhali upazila will go under water and course of the river may be changed,” he added. He urged the authorities concerned to take immediate steps to stop onslaught by the river and sought relief materials for the affected people. Around 122 families of Gayeshpur village have lost their homesteads while others shifted their houses and household belongings to new addresses, fearing onslaught by the river. Local people complained that no officials of the Water Development Board (WDB) in Faridpur or upazila administration came to the village to see the havoc caused by the Madhumati River. "We informed the WDB officials and upazila administration about the matter, but nobody came here or took any step to check the erosion, alleged former UP member Golam Sarwar who hails from Gayeshpur village. Executive engineer of Faridpur WDB Abdul Matin Sarkar could not be contacted despite repeated attempts as his cellphone remained off. Contacted, over cellphone on Friday, Madhukhali Upazila Parishad Chairman Mofizur Ahman Manju said steps to stop river erosion will be taken as soon as possible. The UZ chairman said he will soon visit the area and provide relief materials for the affected people. Upazila Nirbahi Officer (UNO) Mirajul Islam Ukil visited the area on Friday. He told the affected villagers that steps would be taken for their rehabilitation as soon as possible. He also assured the villagers of taking immediate steps in association with the Water Development Board (WDB) to check river erosion in the area. Our Lalmonirhat correspondent adds:: Erosion by the Dharla River has made at least 60 families shelterless at five villages of Mogholhat and Kulaghat unions in Sadar upazila in the last two days. The affected villages are Bajaitari, Bumka, Kurul villages under Mogholhat union and Shiberkuti and Char Kulaghat villages under Kulaghat union.
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