Padma erosion: Shariatpur homeless families face eviction from govt land
However, the authority has now served eviction notices to these families, asking them to vacate the land within a month to make way for a contractor company
At least 250 families in Painpara of Shariatpur's Zajira upazila, left homeless by continued Padma River erosion, now face fresh uncertainty after being asked to vacate the government land they had taken shelter on.
The erosion in Painpara mauza of Naodoba union has intensified in recent weeks, forcing affected residents to settle on unused land owned by the Bangladesh Bridge Authority.
However, the authority has now served eviction notices to these families, asking them to vacate the land within a month to make way for a contractor company.
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Najma Begum, a 70-year-old widow, lost her homestead and agricultural land to the river over multiple phases of erosion. She now lives with her seven children on land near the Padma Bridge construction yard.
"We were once a self-sufficient farming family. After my husband died, I sold land to survive. Whatever was left, the Padma took. Now we have no land, no income. Where will we go next?" she asked, distraught after receiving the notice to vacate that land.
Najma is among 26 families who recently took refuge on Bridge Authority land after fresh erosion on Monday and Wednesday washed away nearly 300 metres of riverbank in the Oshim Uddin Munshi Kandi area. Around 50 families became homeless during this period.
According to officials from the Bangladesh Water Development Board (BWDB), the monsoon-swollen Padma is eroding new areas daily.
Shariatpur BWDB Executive Engineer Tarek Hasan said, "This is due to changes in the river's course. A project proposal for embankment construction has been sent to the ministry. Permanent solutions require a detailed survey of the river's current state."
Earlier in July and August last year, about 200 families in Majhikandi and Ahmad Madborkandi villages lost their homes and farmland to similar erosion. Many of them also took shelter on the same government land.
A notice from the Bangladesh Bridge Authority states that all "illegal structures" adjacent to Construction Yard-2 at the Zajira end of the Padma Bridge must be removed within a month to allow handover to the China Major Bridge Engineering Group Company Ltd.
Ahmad Mostak, who has lost his home six times to erosion, said, "I now live like a refugee. I have no work, no land. Fishing barely provides for my family. And now they are asking us to leave again."
Zahir Uddin, another affected resident, echoed the concern. "We have nowhere to go. We will be on the streets."
Acting Deputy Commissioner of Shariatpur Wahid Hossain visited the area and distributed relief.
"The district administration stands by the erosion-affected. If they are interested, we can make emergency arrangements through Ashrayan projects," he said during the visit.
