Port shifted 5 times but no move to stop erosion

Boulders piled up near the bank of Brahmaputra in Kamarjani while the erosion by the river continues. PHOTO: STAR

The river has engulfed cultivable lands and structures including houses and business establishments. Kamajani river port has been shifted five times due to unabated erosion.

Demanding immediate steps to protect the river bank, local people held rallies, brought out processions and submitted memorandums to the Water Development Board (WDB) and the district administration but the authorities so far paid little attention to renovate the river bank.

During Awami League rule, the then water resource minister Abdur Razzak at a public meeting committed to take steps to check the erosion.

Following agitation by people, WDB took up a programme in 2000-2001 financial year to protect the river bank in Fulchhari and Kamarjani by dumping concrete blocks and construction of spars. The Awami League government could not start the work as its tenure ended.

After the 2001 election, the four-party alliance government stopped the work on the plea of a feasibility study. This sparked agitation again by local people led by left parties.

The government then ordered the Institute of Water Modeling (IWM) to do a model test and conduct a feasibility study.

After survey the IWM gave priority to riverbank protection instead of construction of spars. Accordingly, the authorities sent a revised Project Concept Paper (PCP) to the Executive Committee of National Economic Council (ECNEC) for approval.

The ECNEC in January 2004 approved a project to protect the river bank in Fulchhari and Kamarjani and allocated over Tk 40. 5 crore to implement it.

The work involved protection of 720 metres of the western bank of Brahmaputra in Fulchhari and 1,140 metres in Kamajani by laying GO textile and CC blocks.

The work was started just before the monsoon. Whatever work was done was washed away by surging water of the river within days.

The authorities allocated more Tk 7. 83 crore.

By now, a portion of the work in Fulchhari has been completed but that in Kamarjani is yet to start.

WDB sources said the work can not be done due to lack of funds.

"We received only Tk 19 crore so far", the Executive Engineer in Gaibandha told this correspondent.