3,575 sq km of land to disappear by 2025

When huge quantities of sediment mixed with water accumulated in the river basin, the flow of water hits the river banks with greater force, intensifying the river erosion, said engineer Jalaluddin Md Abdul Hye, deputy executive director of Institute of Water Modelling (IWM), while delivering a lecture at a course on 'Water and Flood Management for Journalists'.

"Every year, some 10,000 hectares of land disappear due to river erosion, rendering about 60,000 people homeless," he said.

The Brahmaputra-Jamuna transports 600 metric tons of sediment each year while Padma carries 286 metric tons and Meghna carries one metric ton of sediment, the experts said.

The Press Institute of Bangladesh (PIB) and the Institute of Water and Flood Management (IWFM), Bangladesh University of Engineering & Technology (BUET), jointly organised the three-day course at the PIB auditorium in collaboration with the IWM and the Centre for Environmental and Geographic Information Services (CEGIS).

Hundreds of small shoals have emerged due to accumulation of sediment, changing the course of the rivers, said Dr Mansur Rahman, assistant professor of IWFM.

Water Resources Planning Organisation (WARPO) Director General HS Mozaddad Faruque, IWFM Professors Abul Fazal M Saleh and Rezaur Rahman and Assistant Professor Dr Mashfiqus Salehin and Associate Professor Dr Tarekul Islam also delivered lectures.