Photo : BSS

RAJSHAHI, June 13, 2026 (BSS)- Even before the monsoon has fully begun, severe erosion has hit the Padma River at Charghat in Rajshahi. Vast stretches of farmland in the upazila's Gopalpur, Chandanshahar, Pirojpur and Sahapur areas have already started devoured by the river.
 
Educational institutions, religious places of worship, and the homesteads of hundreds of families are now under threat. 

In this situation, the Bangladesh Water Development Board (BWDB) has taken an initiative to dump geo-bags over only a 100-meter stretch, sparking intense anger and dissatisfaction among locals. 

Residents complain that compared to miles of erosion-prone riverbank, this token allocation is extremely inadequate.
 
According to local sources, although Charghat upazila has protective embankments along about eight kilometers of the Padma riverbank, nearly five kilometers remain completely unprotected. 

Every year when the monsoon arrives, erosion begins in these areas. Temporary preventive measures are taken in the name of emergency funds, but there is no visible real progress on a long-term river training project. 

The same picture is seen this year. Erosion has become especially severe in Gopalpur and Pirojpur. Locals fear that without swift, effective action, several hundred bighas of cropland along with important structures will be lost to the river.
 
It is learned that the BWDB has started work to dump just 9,200 geo-bags over a 100-meter area at a cost of about Tk 59 lakh from a special fund. But locals say this minor effort will bring no lasting benefit.

Badsha Islam, a farmer from Gopalpur village, said, "I had jute cultivated on six bighas of land on the riverbank. Already one and a half bighas have gone into the river. It is not just me, most farmers in this area are in the same condition. Last year too, geo-bags were dumped spending lakhs of taka, but erosion has started again this year."
 
Nur Uddin Sheikh, headmaster of Pirojpur Government Primary School, said, "Our school is not included in the area where geo-bags are being dumped. The distance from the school to the river is now only five to ten meters. If quick action is not taken, the school could disappear into the river at any moment."

Locals allege that although geo-bags are dumped every monsoon under emergency projects, no effective initiative for permanent embankment construction or river training is taken during the dry season. 

As a result, even though government money is allocated repeatedly for the same area, there is no permanent solution.
 
On-site observation found that although each geo-bag is supposed to contain 250 kg of sand, locals allege many bags contain less than the specified amount. 

There are also allegations that bags are being filled with soil-mixed sand collected from char areas near the Indian border. 

Local resident Tajmul Haque said, "The sand cut from the river char is mixed with a lot of soil. And not all bags are given equal weight either. It is in no way possible to stop this severe erosion with such substandard work."
 
Md. Kamruzzaman, president of the Charghat upazila branch of Bangladesh Poribesh Andolon (BAPA), said, "Nearly five kilometers of the Padma area is currently at extreme risk. Unless a long-term, well-planned river training project covering the entire area is implemented, the same problem will return every year and a huge amount of government money will be wasted."
 
Denying the allegations of irregularities, Mizanur Rahman, representative of the contracting firm Khwaja Tareq Enterprise, said, "The project work is being done following the specified technical standards. There is no irregularity or concealment regarding the quality of sand and the weight of the bags."
 
Md. Abu Roushan Masud, sub-assistant engineer of BWDB, Rajshahi O&M Division, said, "In response to the urgent demand of locals, geo-bags are being dumped for now over a 100-meter areas. However, it is true that many more surrounding areas are at risk. The matter of constructing a permanent embankment is currently under consideration by higher authorities."
 
On the issue, Charghat Upazila Nirbahi Officer (UNO) Jannatul Ferdous said, "The overall river erosion situation has been informed to the concerned department. In addition, the locals' complaints about the quality of work of the ongoing project will be investigated and necessary action will be taken."