DIPANKAR ROY, Khulna

Erosion caused by the Kazi Bacha River has put the main road connecting Dacope and Batiaghata upazilas in Khulna at serious risk. At least five major points along the road have already been severely damaged, and locals fear that if any section collapses completely, over 40 to 50 villages across Batiaghata and Gangarampur unions could be directly affected.

The Dacope-Batiaghata road is the only direct communication route between the two upazilas and the city.

Recent visits to several erosion-hit locations -- including Kismat Phultala’s Boruitola area, Batiaghata Bazar, near the Pankhali ferry terminal, and Gopal Khali -- revealed that the river has eaten into several parts of the road. In some places, the erosion has crept 7 to 8 feet into the road, leaving narrow, stretches for vehicles and pedestrians.

“The river is now just a few feet away from our homes,” said Beethika Mondal, a resident of Kismat Phultala. “If the erosion continues like this, the water will come right over our house. We can’t even sleep at night out of fear. Our land, just 3 to 4 kathas, is right next to the erosion site. If it collapses, not just us but over 50 bighas of surrounding land will be lost.”

Swapon Biswas, another resident of Phultala and a retired bank officer, said during high tides, water already overflows onto their land. “The riverbed has risen due to siltation. When the tide is strong, water hits the base of the road directly, loosening the soil. If this continues without proper sandbag reinforcements or embankment protection, the road will collapse very soon.”

“If this road breaks, it will cut off communication between Khulna and Dacope, and our agricultural economy will be devastated,” he added. “Right now, it’s the Aman season. This is our only rice crop. If that fails, we won’t have anything to eat for the rest of the year.”

At the Batiaghata Bazar section of the river, erosion has caused large cracks over a stretch of nearly 400 metres along the main Khulna-

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