Dharla erosion renders hundreds homeless

The Dharla River, flowing through Lalmonirhat Sadar upazila, continues to swallow farmlands, homesteads and vital infrastructure every day, leaving hundreds of families destitute.

Severe erosion has now gripped around 11 kilometres of the river's right bank, with at least 10 points facing critical threat.

In Kurul and Shiberkuti areas, the river's erosion has reached dangerously close to the town protection dam. Locals fear that if the dam collapses, the entire Lalmonirhat town will face devastation.

To address the crisis, the Water Development Board has drafted a Tk 300-crore "Right Bank of Dharla River Erosion Protection Project" for Lalmonirhat Sadar upazila.

The Development Project Proposal (DPP) is currently awaiting approval from the Ministry of Water Resources.

According to WDB estimates, the Dharla devours 500–600 bighas of farmland and over a hundred homesteads each year, causing losses worth more than Tk 150 crore annually. Officials say constructing a permanent embankment along the 11-km stretch could significantly curb the damage.

"I have lost 12 bighas of farmland and my homestead to the Dharla," said Dinesh Chandra Sen, 70, a farmer from Moghalhat area. "Now my family lives on someone else's land. The river has taken everything from us. Unless a permanent project is built, hundreds more families will lose everything."

Kasem Ali, 65, of Kurul area, said he lost 10 bighas of land over the past four years, with another two bighas disappearing recently. "Now I have only three bighas left, and even that is under threat," he said.

Contacted, Lalmonirhat WDB Executive Engineer Shunil Kumar said, "We have completed the field survey. The project is now with the Ministry of Water Resources and will go to the planning ministry next. Once approved and funded, work will begin immediately."

"If implemented, the project will significantly reduce the annual losses that riverside people face due to erosion," he said.