Erosion takes serious turn at Daulatdia

The Padma River, which has been receding for the last few days due to a drop in water level in the Ganges, is now causing severe erosion on the bank of the river, washing away houses and infrastructure.
At least 90 families of Daulatdia union under Goalunda upazila of Rajbari district lost their homestead in the erosion in a few days,
while ferry Ghat no 4 was washed away on Tuesday.
Water development board officials said that severe erosion took place when the waters started receding.
They also said that the Padma River, which is receding, is likely to rise again, as the Jamuna river will be rising for the next three to four days.
WBD’s flood forecasting and warning centre executive engineer Md Sazzad Hossain said that there was heavy rainfall taking place in Assam, Meghalaya and Arunachal provinces and the onrush of water will continue to swell the Jamuna river for the next three or four days.
According to FFWC, the Brahmaputra-Jamuna and Kushiyara rivers were rising and they might continue to rise for the next two days.
New Age correspondent in Manikganj reported that on Monday, a 130-feet road of Sattar Member-para was washed away in the river Padma.
A large stretch on the one kilometer-long road between Daulatdia Ferry ghat and Akkas Ali High School are now under threat of erosion again.
The Ghat no 2 and 3 of Daulatdia ferry terminal is now under serious threat of erosion, said Shafikul Islam, manager (commerce) of Bangladesh Inland Water Transport Corporation (BIWTC) at Daulatdia office.
Local people said that around 15 families of Sattar Member-para, 20 families of Siddik Kazi-para and 12 families of Daulatdia ferry ghat areas lost their homestead in the erosion over the last two weeks. Nearly a thousand families of the area is now in serious threat, he said.
Most of the families of Mazid Sheikher-para and launch-ghat areas of Ward no 5 were shifted to safer places due to the erosion. Around 350 families of the two villages were in a vulnerable state, he said.
Member of Ward No. 1 Mazid Fokir said around 500 families of Sattar Member-para is under serious threat of erosion. He feared huge losses if the authorities did not take necessary steps immediately to check the river erosion, adding that more than fifty shops were shifted to safer places from there.
The homestead of at least 500 families of Kachari-danga, Kiamuddin Mandal-para, Bhuti-para, Nehari Mandal-para and Isail Shibrampur villages of Ward no.2 were totally eroded last year.
Most of the villagers took shelter in Ward No. 1 and 5 and now they fell victim to erosion this year again.
Upazila Nirbahi Officer Pankaj Ghosh said public representatives have been asked to make a list of erosion-affected families and take necessary steps to save the ghat no. 2 from erosion, he said.