River erosion badly affects Rangpur char people

On Wednesday evening, there was darkness all around. People were screaming amid the pin-drop silence. They were saying, "Oh God! Save us. Everything has been washed away by the river."

They were also saying, "Why is there so much injustice on us? Where will we go with our family, where will we stay?"

Hundreds of people in the area were also crying on the streets on Thursday morning. Everyone was echoing the same words, "Everything is over for us, our homes and crops have been washed away by the river."

Even a few days ago, Amena Begum (65) of Chaawala Purbo Haguria village in Pirgachha upazila of Rangpur had a home.

She was having good days with her family. But the flood water has taken away her homestead. Now, Amena Begum has almost gone mad after losing her land.

"Now we are living on the streets. The devastating Teesta snatched everything from me on Wednesday night," she exclaimed.

She continued, "I have nothing left now. The poor get nothing. The member-chairmen have listed my name but I am yet to receive any assistance from anyone."

Hundreds of families in the northern region have lost everything to the erosion in the Teesta, the Dudhkumar and the Brahmaputra. After losing everything, they are now living on the streets. The erosion that started right after the flood water receded has brought them bad luck.

Fifteen villages of Kaunia, Gangachara and Pirgacha upazilas in Rangpur have been affected by flooding due to the erosion in the Teesta.

Rezaul Karim, another victim from Amena's village, lived on a five-decimal piece of land with his three children. But the river has snatched everything from him. Now he is living under the open sky with his family.

However, Rezaul does not want to lose the battle and is determined to live by fighting it.

Sikender Ali, 62, of Dakshin Gabura village in Pirgachha, is in a similar situation. His homestead, built on 20 decimals of land, is now under river water.

Now he along with his family is spending days amid a serious struggle. Thousands of people in that char (low-lying) area are having the same fate. Homesteads and croplands of thousands of people in the char areas have been lost to the river.

An official of Rangpur Water Development Board said an area of around 4-5 km has been lost into the river so far and 15 villages have been affected.

Md Mehedi Hasan, executive engineer of Rangpur Water Development Board, said people of these areas are living an inhuman life losing everything to the river erosion.

Mohammad Ali, additional director of the Rangpur Department of Agricultural Extension, said that crops on about 10,500 hectares of land had been submerged in floods this year in the northern region.

Meanwhile, the flood-affected people complained that no government in the past 40 years worked to save them from the Teesta erosion. They said if a dam is not built in the area, the rest of their land will also be lost.

Nezamul Islam, a flood victim, said, "I had to deal with river erosion 15 times. I went to different government departments many times but I did not get any remedy. Many of the victims of river erosion are now living inhuman lives on the streets."

Mohammad Ali, additional director at Rangpur DAE, said the listing of affected farmers is underway, and official incentives will be provided to them.