Charfesson upazila in Bhola district is facing a humanitarian crisis as the Tetulia River continues to erode vast stretches of land, displacing thousands of people and destroying homes, croplands, and livelihoods.
With no shelter and little government relief, affected families at Nilkomol union are now living in makeshift huts on embankments, clinging to hope and calling for immediate intervention.
The continued erosion of the Tetulia River has plunged several thousand residents of Nilkomol union under Dularhat Police Station area of Charfesson into uncertainty and despair.
The river has already swallowed homes, fertile farmland, and critical infrastructure; leaving families without shelter or security.
Even before the monsoon season has begun in full swing, more than 800 people have lost their homes this year alone.
Approximately one-third of Nilkomol union has already been lost to the river and over 2,000 more families are at immediate risk of losing everything.
The worst-affected area lies between ward no. 1's Char Nurul Amin village and Ward no. 9’s Bangla Bazar; a nearly 2-kilometer stretch where erosion is accelerating rapidly.
Locals are urgently demanding the construction of a permanent embankment using concrete (CC) blocks to stop further damage.
Though Water Development Board claims that erosion control efforts are underway, including the placement of geo-bags, these measures have proven insufficient to protect the vulnerable communities.
Families rendered homeless now live in fragile huts along the riverbanks, exposed to elements and facing dire living conditions.
Many are demanding that they be allowed to settle on newly emerged river islands (chars) to rebuild their lives.
Zainal Abedin, an 80-year-old resident of ward no. 1, described how he once owned two acres of land through government settlement. Years of erosion have taken his home and farmland, forcing him to move to the slope of an embankment with his family. “We live like refugees in our own land,” he said.
Tahsina Khatun, another resident, has lost her home to the river twice. “My husband built this home when he was alive. Now the river is back and I have nowhere to go,” she shared, struggling to hold back tears.
Rahima Begum’s story echoes the same sorrow. With her house gone, she now lives in another’s home with her three children. Her husband, a rickshaw-puller, barely earns enough to feed the family, let alone buy land or rebuild.
Md Nurul Islam, who has been displaced twice, is again moving his home from the edge of the river. “The river is at our doorstep,” he said.
Md Abdur Rahim, a once-prosperous farmer, lost both his own and leased farmland to erosion. “I used to farm 3-4 kanis of land. Now I have nothing. My son had to go to Dhaka for work,” he said.
Responding to the crisis, Bhola Division-2 Water Development Board Executive Engineer Ashfauddoula said that 7,000 geo-bags have been placed across 110 meters of the most critical 860-meter erosion zone at a cost of Tk 33 lakh.
He noted that more geo-bags would be placed if additional funds are approved and confirmed that a long-term plan for a CC block embankment is in the works.
As erosion intensifies and more families fall into ruin, residents are calling on the government for urgent and permanent solutions before it’s too late.
SF/SH
