Bangla Press Desk: Fierce erosion by the Padma River has swallowed homesteads, farmland, and ancestral graves across the Char areas of Harirampur Upazila in Manikganj.
The river consumed the grave of Main Uddin Molla in Harihardia village under Lechraganj Union, leaving his grandson Jibon Molla and family grieving the loss of their final family landmark after losing their home and crops.
Relentless erosion has battered the union over recent years, washing away nearly 2,000 homes and thousands of bighas of arable land over the past four to five years.
Locals claim that over 100 homesteads in Harihardia, Selimpur, Joypur, and Haluaghat have gone under the water this year alone.
The river has also swallowed the four-storey Azimnagar Union High School, Hatighata Health Complex, several schools, markets, and homes across Lechraganj, Sutalori, and Azimnagar unions over the last four to five years.
River erosion is stripping Char dwellers not just of their property and livelihoods, but of cherished memories, family graves, and long-standing settlements.
The administration said the situation has caught their attention, promising an on-site assessment soon, while Bangladesh Water Development Board (BWDB) officials pledged steps following a field visit.
Harihardia Kindergarten owner Rajib Hossain noted that after devouring Selimpur last year, the river washed away nearly 150 homes in Joypur this monsoon, forcing residents to dismantle homes and relocate.
He added that former landowners now lack a roof over their heads, while erosion has also hit Uttar Channel Union in neighbouring Faridpur Sadar.
Haluaghat resident and hired motorcycle rider Faruk Hossain, who lost his home and farmland years ago, lamented that erosion has resumed in Haluaghat and Harinaghat without any effective preventive measures in sight.
Motaleb Hossain, Lechraganj union council ward member warned that the entire Char will vanish unless geo-bags are dumped immediately.
He recalled that former civil aviation minister Afroza Khanam Rita had issued a DO letter to the water resources ministry for protection works in Selimpur-Harihardia, but no funds have been allocated yet.
Lechraganj Union Council Chairman Moazzem Hossain said the Char population is helpless, with his union virtually wiped out by the river.
He added that no effective action has been taken, warning that the union council building, Notakhola Police Outpost, and Notakhola Afroza High School face imminent destruction unless protective barriers are thrown up.
Trawler operator Farid Hossain, plying the Andharmanik Ghat-Lechraganj route, said Selimpur sank last monsoon, Joypur is nearly gone this season, and Haluaghat, Harina Ghat, and Azimnagar are being eroded away quickly.
Locals complained that despite years of destruction, authorities have implemented neither permanent nor temporary bank protection measures, leaving families destitute year after year.
Harirampur Upazila administrator (UNO) Farjana Akter said she assumed office a week ago and plans to visit the affected areas within two days following reports from the union council chairman.
BWDB Executive Engineer Md Akhtaruzzaman said he is conducting a feasibility study in Leshraganj Union on Monday alongside Manikganj-2 MP Moinul Islam Khan and Upazila administration officials.
