Erosion threaten coastal areas

Aminer Ma runs a small tea shop inside Korail slum in Dhaka. She came to the capital two decades ago with her husband and their first child, Amin, when a mighty river washed away their homestead in coastal Bhola district.

The mother worked as a maid at a house in Mirpur, while the father pulled a rickshaw to earn fast cash. They had plans to return home to their village as soon as they had saved enough to buy a piece of land and start anew. But 20 years on and three more children later, they are stuck in the capital. They just managed to move from Mirpur to Gulshan, where earning prospects are better, especially for her children, she said.    

The World Bank estimates about 350,000 people migrate to Dhaka each year. Most of them come from coastal areas where frequent storms and floods, river erosion, rising sea levels and soil salinisation are destroying homes and farmland annually.

About 20 million people of the country’s southern districts, including Bhola, survive fighting with natural calamities. Combating cyclones, tidal surges and river erosion, mainly by Meghna and Tetulia, are regular phenomena for villagers of the region. Nowadays, they also face rising sea levels and salinisation due to global warming.  

Heavy rainfalls, melting glaciers, deforestation and building of dams and barrages in neighbouring countries upstream add to their woes as swollen rivers ultimately drain through the low-lying deltaic plains of Bangladesh.

During the annual monsoon season, overflowing rivers flood vast areas of the country, from Rajshahi to Sirajganj and Chandpur to Bhola. When the floodwaters recede, river banks are washed away, along with riverside homes and farms. Millions of people lose their homes and livelihoods, and are forced to migrate to towns and cities.  

Bhola is most vulnerable to erosion from the Meghna and Tetulia rivers. About half of Bhola district has already been devoured by the rivers over the past one hundred years, according to land records.  It is learnt that the total area of Bhola district was about 6,000 square kilometre, but it is now only 3,500 sq km.

Fifteen unions, including whole of Gazipur, part of Ilisha, Rajapur, Kachia and Dhania in Bhola sadar; Hajipur, Bhabanipur, Medua, Madanpur, and part of Sayeedpur union of Daulatkhan; Sonapur and Chandpur of Tajum Uddin; Gongapur and Hasan Nagar of Borhauddin; and Loardherdinge of Lalmohon have totally disappeared in the last 100 years. About 100,000 acres of arable land, homesteads, educational institutions, bazaars, and orchards were also washed away.  
In recent times, thousands of coastal people, including many from wealthy families, have turned destitute as there is no respite from the river erosion. Many took shelter on flood protection embankments and have been leading sub-human lives for decades due to lack of rehabilitation programmes.

Erosion victims never get back their ancestral lands, while new chars (shoals) emerging from the rivers are off-limit to them due to complexities of present land laws. Usually, groups of vested quarters, with the blessings of ruling party leaders and land officials, take possession of new char lands, declared khas (state) land by the government.     

Moreover, affects of climate change have given rise to panic among the people of southern coastal districts. Due to global warming, caused by atmospheric pollution through greenhouse gas emissions, increases water level in the Bay of Bengal day by day. The rising sea water causes annual flooding and salinity of farmlands that hamper crop production and livelihoods of coastal people. Saline sea water also enters the rivers, endangering fresh water fish species.

 However, Agriculture Extension Department officials say that salinity cannot damage crops in a large scale if the saline water does not stay for a long time.

Construction of 12 to 15 foot-high embankments to prevent sea water from entering inland farmlands may save the people of coastal areas, they said.  

Meanwhile, one way to save homes and croplands from river erosion is to dump concrete cement (CC) blocks along the river bank in a planned way, experts say.    

Bhola has a bright prospect for construction of an industrial zone after the discovery of Bhola-Shabajpur gas field.

 Besides, the government has already built a 225 megawatt gas-based power plant at a cost of Tk 2,000 crore in Borhanuddin sadar upazila of Bhola which is already supplying electricity to the national grid. The construction work of another 225MW power plant in the same area is under way.

 A ‘tourist zone’ may also be created in the 25,000 acres of mangrove forests on Charkukrimukri and Dhal Char, which will easily attract local and foreign tourists.

But all the development prospects and prosperity become bleak when erosion continues to affect Bhola sadar, including Ilisha and Rajapur unions where a large area, including Ilisha ferry ghat, five educational institutions and over 1,000 homes, were washed away in the rainy season this year.

 At the time, the Water Board in Bhola spent about Tk6 crore on dumping sand bags along the erosion-hit river bank, but failed to control erosion.

Three erosion victims, Mostafa, 60, Mohibullah, 60, and Waliullah, 65, of Ilisha union, told this correspondent that they had to move their homes several times this season following the erosion by the River Meghna. The elderly men said they had never before witnessed such dangerous erosion like this season’s.

School teacher Tasir Master, 61, and retired principal Mofijul Islam urged the authorities to take initiatives to check erosion and save 18 lakh people of Bhola by taking up a project to dump CC blocks in the Meghna River.

When contacted, Abdul Hekim, executive engineer of Water Board Bhola, said a Tk 310-crore project to dump CC blocks into the Meghna at Ilisha and Rajapur has already been placed before the relevant the ministry and it is awaiting a nod from ECNEC.

Besides, four unions of Charfassion and four unions of Monpura upazila, including Bhola-Shabajpur gas field, are also under the threat of erosion.

Abul Haseem Mohajon, chairman of Charkukrimukri union of Charfassion, also called for dumping of CC blocks in the river to check erosion and save life and property of local people.

 Some erosion victims also demanded proper and transparent use of climate change funds for implementation of sustainable projects to check erosion.

The writer is Bhola correspondent of The Independent. Parveen Ahmed also contributed to this report.

Erosion threaten coastal areas

Aminer Ma runs a small tea shop inside Korail slum in Dhaka. She came to the capital two decades ago with her husband and their first child, Amin, when a mighty river washed away their homestead in coastal Bhola district. The mother worked as a maid at a house in Mirpur, while the father pulled a rickshaw to earn fast cash. They had plans to return home to their village as soon as they had saved enough to buy a piece of land and start anew. But 20 years on and three more children later, they are stuck in the capital. They just managed to move from Mirpur to Gulshan, where earning prospects are better, especially for her children, she said. The World Bank estimates about 350,000 people migrate to Dhaka each year. Most of them come from coastal areas where frequent storms and floods, river erosion, rising sea levels and soil salinisation are destroying homes and farmland annually. About 20 million people of the countrys southern districts, including Bhola, survive fighting with natural calamities. Combating cyclones, tidal surges and river erosion, mainly by Meghna and Tetulia, are regular phenomena for villagers of the region. Nowadays, they also face rising sea levels and salinisation due to global warming. Heavy rainfalls, melting glaciers, deforestation and building of dams and barrages in neighbouring countries upstream add to their woes as swollen rivers ultimately drain through the low-lying deltaic plains of Bangladesh. During the annual monsoon season, overflowing rivers flood vast areas of the country, from Rajshahi to Sirajganj and Chandpur to Bhola. When the floodwaters recede, river banks are washed away, along with riverside homes and farms. Millions of people lose their homes and livelihoods, and are forced to migrate to towns and cities. Bhola is most vulnerable to erosion from the Meghna and Tetulia rivers. About half of Bhola district has already been devoured by the rivers over the past one hundred years, according to land records. It is learnt that the total area of Bhola district was about 6,000 square kilometre, but it is now only 3,500 sq km. Fifteen unions, including whole of Gazipur, part of Ilisha, Rajapur, Kachia and Dhania in Bhola sadar; Hajipur, Bhabanipur, Medua, Madanpur, and part of Sayeedpur union of Daulatkhan; Sonapur and Chandpur of Tajum Uddin; Gongapur and Hasan Nagar of Borhauddin; and Loardherdinge of Lalmohon have totally disappeared in the last 100 years. About 100,000 acres of arable land, homesteads, educational institutions, bazaars, and orchards were also washed away. In recent times, thousands of coastal people, including many from wealthy families, have turned destitute as there is no respite from the river erosion. Many took shelter on flood protection embankments and have been leading sub-human lives for decades due to lack of rehabilitation programmes. Erosion victims never get back their ancestral lands, while new chars (shoals) emerging from the rivers are off-limit to them due to complexities of present land laws. Usually, groups of vested quarters, with the blessings of ruling party leaders and land officials, take possession of new char lands, declared khas (state) land by the government. Moreover, affects of climate change have given rise to panic among the people of southern coastal districts. Due to global warming, caused by atmospheric pollution through greenhouse gas emissions, increases water level in the Bay of Bengal day by day. The rising sea water causes annual flooding and salinity of farmlands that hamper crop production and livelihoods of coastal people. Saline sea water also enters the rivers, endangering fresh water fish species. However, Agriculture Extension Department officials say that salinity cannot damage crops in a large scale if the saline water does not stay for a long time. Construction of 12 to 15 foot-high embankments to prevent sea water from entering inland farmlands may save the people of coastal areas, they said. Meanwhile, one way to save homes and croplands from river erosion is to dump concrete cement (CC) blocks along the river bank in a planned way, experts say. Bhola has a bright prospect for construction of an industrial zone after the discovery of Bhola-Shabajpur gas field. Besides, the government has already built a 225 megawatt gas-based power plant at a cost of Tk 2,000 crore in Borhanuddin sadar upazila of Bhola which is already supplying electricity to the national grid. The construction work of another 225MW power plant in the same area is under way. A tourist zone may also be created in the 25,000 acres of mangrove forests on Charkukrimukri and Dhal Char, which will easily attract local and foreign tourists. But all the development prospects and prosperity become bleak when erosion continues to affect Bhola sadar, including Ilisha and Rajapur unions where a large area, including Ilisha ferry ghat, five educational institutions and over 1,000 homes, were washed away in the rainy season this year. At the time, the Water Board in Bhola spent about Tk6 crore on dumping sand bags along the erosion-hit river bank, but failed to control erosion. Three erosion victims, Mostafa, 60, Mohibullah, 60, and Waliullah, 65, of Ilisha union, told this correspondent that they had to move their homes several times this season following the erosion by the River Meghna. The elderly men said they had never before witnessed such dangerous erosion like this seasons. School teacher Tasir Master, 61, and retired principal Mofijul Islam urged the authorities to take initiatives to check erosion and save 18 lakh people of Bhola by taking up a project to dump CC blocks in the Meghna River. When contacted, Abdul Hekim, executive engineer of Water Board Bhola, said a Tk 310-crore project to dump CC blocks into the Meghna at Ilisha and Rajapur has already been placed before the relevant the ministry and it is awaiting a nod from ECNEC. Besides, four unions of Charfassion and four unions of Monpura upazila, including Bhola-Shabajpur gas field, are also under the threat of erosion. Abul Haseem Mohajon, chairman of Charkukrimukri union of Charfassion, also called for dumping of CC blocks in the river to check erosion and save life and property of local people. Some erosion victims also demanded proper and transparent use of climate change funds for implementation of sustainable projects to check erosion. The writer is Bhola correspondent of The Independent. Parveen Ahmed also contributed to this report.