Ghaghot Takes Serious Turn in Rangpur
100 houses devoured in a week
People helplessly watch as Ghaghot continues to devour their homesteads and croplands at Imadpur village in Mithapukur upazila of Rangpur.Photo: STAR
Erosion by River Ghaghot has taken a serious turn in Mithapukur upazila devouring over 100 houses in Imadpur, Bhangni, Balarhat and Pairabandh unions in the last one week. Most of the affected families are very poor, many of them day labourers. Locals said, the homeless families took shelter on high roads and dykes in the upazila. The victims are passing their days in misery without drinking water and foods under the open sky as the local administration are yet to arrange any relief for them. Amzad Hossain, a local Awami League leader alleged that people of the affected areas had urged the authorities concern to protect them from erosion several times. Since 1991, five to six projects were taken to construct a dyke to protect the villagers, but unfortunately none of the projects was implemented, he added. "Ghaghot has devoured our homestead, cropland and everything," said Mohsene Begum, wife of day-labourer Hafizar of Imadpur. "Where will we go now?" she posed. Hundreds of other houses, Imadpur Registered Primary School and a vast tract of croplands in the area are now under the threat of erosion, locals said. Belayet Hossain, Headmaster of Imadpur school, said that the river was now only 50 metres away. “If the authorities do not take immediate steps to protect the school, it will go into the river soon," the headmaster said. Harun-Ar-Rashid, UNO of Mithapukur, said that upazila administration was taking preparations to help the erosion victims soon.
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