AHMED HUMAYUN KABIR TOPU, back from Sirajganj

Ainul Haque, 70, a retired primary school teacher in Sayedpur village under Shahzadpur upazila of Sirajganj, lost his house to Jamuna river’s erosion five times in last 30 years.

On last Wednesday, the river devoured his house yet again, for the sixth time.

“A crack appeared in the riverbank near the house all of a sudden on Wednesday noon, and by the evening, everything was gone. My family members and I only managed to save our lives, nothing else,” Ainul added.

“At least five houses were devoured by Jamuna while some 10-15 houses were relocated from riverbank, including mine, in last couple of weeks,” said Md Niam Uddin Bepari, a resident of the village.

“When I built my house four years ago, the river was at least 500 metres away. Now it has moved close to my doorstep,” he added.

Not only Sayedpur village, but also at least 5-6 spots in neighbouring Koijuri Bazar, Haatpachil, Dhitpur and Kurshi villages in the upazila have become vulnerable to river erosion.

Sonatoni union in the upazila has been the worst affected in the recent spell of Jamuna’s erosion.

Md Kamruzzaman, Shahzadpur upazila nirbahi officer, said they would begin relief work if necessary.

Md Najmul Hossain, sub-divisional engineer of Bangladesh Water Development Board in Sirajganj, said a Tk 651 crore project to develop 8-km flood protection embankment and 6.5-km riverbank protection is undergoing from Enayetpur to Haatpachil area of Shahzadpur upazila to mitigate river erosion.

“Upon completion of the project, likely by 2026, entire Shahzadpur upazila will be protected from Jamuna’s erosion,” he added.

Contacted, Md Mokhlesur Rahman, executive engineer of BWDB in Sirajganj, said most of the erosion hit areas of Sonatoni union are remote shoal lands that are located beyond the riverbank protection work.

“As the river is swelling up, riverbank areas along the shoals have been eroding, which is natural. However, there is no damage in the protected areas along the riverbank,” he added.