Momena's last stand against river erosion

Hidadgari, a remote village on the banks of the Jamuna River in Char Pakerdah union of Madarganj upazila in Jamalpur, is under constant threat of river erosion and flooding. Home to around 500 families, the village shifts roughly half a kilometre inland every year, gradually retreating as the river shows no sign of mercy.

One of its residents, 70-year-old Momena Bewa, had to move her home in April 2023. She relocated it about 700 yards from the river to the only land left by her late husband – a 125-decimal plot of farmland.

But by May 2024, even this new home was swallowed by the Jamuna. She lost everything again and had no time to move it. Now she lives in a makeshift shelter on borrowed land at the southeastern edge of nearby Pakrul village.

The river is once again creeping up – now just 200 yards from where she lives.

"I don't see how I'll save this house either," Momena told The Business Standard.

"Two years ago, when erosion started with the rain and storms, some trained young men warned me in advance. But I had no money to move the house, not even enough to buy food if flooding hit," she said.

Momena added, "Then they sent Tk6,000 to my son's mobile wallet. That money let me shift the house and buy dry food. I survived because of it. But last year, no such help came. I had to endure everything on my own. People here are so poor, they can't afford to help each other."

"The support came under a project called SUFAL-II, led by CARE Bangladesh and several NGOs," said Farhad Hossain, the village's polli chikitsok (rural paramedic).

That project is still technically running, but local coverage in villages like Hidadgari has lapsed.

Under SUFAL-II (Scaling-up Flood Forecast-based Action and Learning in Bangladesh), around 750 families in disaster-prone Pakrul and Hidadgari received early warnings before floods or erosion, as well as cash support of Tk6,000 per family to prepare in advance. This simple intervention made a major difference.

Farhad, trained under the project as a Local Service Provider (LSP), also vaccinated livestock before floods. The result: a 60% drop in livestock deaths from flood-borne disease. Villagers also used the cash to stock animal feed and build temporary shelters for their animals.

"There's still no government-built embankment to protect these villages," Farhad added. "If SUFAL continues, at least people will have something to hope for."

Ahaj Uddin Fakir, elected member of Ward-1 in Char Pakerdah Union Parishad, said, "In the last few years, the river has taken 60% of this village. But the remaining 40% can still be saved – if action is taken immediately. A deputy commissioner came under the previous government and promised an embankment, but it hasn't materialised. During crises, many NGOs help. Under SUFAL-II, cash support helped our poorest families prepare. We need that kind of support to continue."

Md Nakibuzzaman Khan, executive engineer at the Water Development Board in Jamalpur, confirmed, "A project has been initiated to prevent erosion in Pakrul, Ward No 1. The feasibility study is complete. A proposal will be drafted soon."

According to stakeholders, SUFAL-II is a comprehensive disaster preparedness programme led by CARE Bangladesh. It builds on the first SUFAL phase (2019–2021) and runs from July 2021 to June 2025. The project targets the north-western Char and north-eastern Haor regions, both highly vulnerable to monsoon floods, flash floods, and lightning.

"SUFAL has been working since 2019 to improve the early warning system, strengthen the community and institutions to respond ahead of hazards based on forecasts, and build a sustainable financial structure for the community to take proactive measures. We are always lobbying with the government to develop policy frameworks and find a solution to identify a sustainable finance source,"  said Utkalita Rahman, technical coordinator of SUFAL-II.