Photo : BSS

KURIGRAM, Oct 9, 2025 (BSS) –At least 65 houses were plunged into water of  Dudhkumar and Brahmaputra rivers in Kurigram Sadar’s Jatrapur union due to sudden onrush of water from upstream India leaving scores  of families homeless.
 
According to local sources, over a hundred more homesteads are at the risk of river erosion that continues to intensify. 

Displaced residents are seeking refuge with relatives and approaching public representatives for assistance.

Jatrapur Union Parishad Chairman Abdul Gafur said 48 houses were destroyed by the Dudhkumar River while 17 more in Parbatipur, Bhagbatipur, and Goyalpara areas by the Brahmaputra River.

"The affected families come to us every day for help, but we have limited capacity. The upazila administration has distributed 30 kg of rice to each affected family," he added.

During a visit to the area, several residents including Atiqur Rahman, Altaf Hossain, Alima Begum and Amena Begum were seen shifting belongings from their worn down houses. 

“We’ve already changed our addresses five or six times. We don’t know where to go next,” they said.

Professor Shafiqul Islam Bebu, convener of the Kurigram Char Development Committee, said the erosion of the Brahmaputra, Teesta, Dharla and Dudhkumar Rivers across 16 rivers in the district has now become a year-round crisis.

“Since 1954, authorities have taken temporary solution measures. NGOs and some government agencies gained from river management projects, but erosion victims remain neglected. A separate ministry for char and erosion-affected people is urgently needed,” he said.

Kurigram Water Development Board Executive Engineer Rakibul Hasan said erosion is currently active at 33 points in the district. 

“We are dumping 250-kg sand-filled geobags to tackle the situation,” he said.