Hundreds of farmers in Roumari upazila of Kurigram are facing despair as the Brahmaputra River has swallowed their cropland just as paddy plants began producing panicles, forcing many to settle for half-ripe crops in a desperate attempt to salvage something from their losses, or minimise them.
In some fields, paddy plants have only begun to develop panicles, while in others the half-ripe grains have started turning golden. With only a few days left before harvest, farmers in the Sukhervati and Madhyapara areas of Char Shoulmari union have watched their expected harvest disappear into the river.
With no way to protect their land, impoverished farmers are cutting down half-ripe paddy plants, hoping to use them as cattle feed.
Locals said at least 10 acres of farmland in the areas had been washed away by the Brahmaputra over the past two days. Another 200 to 250 bighas of cropland are now at serious risk of erosion. Without urgent and effective protective measures, farmers fear losing not only this season's Aman paddy but also their farmland permanently.
Jelhok, a farmer from erosion-hit Sukhervati, said the riverbank began collapsing suddenly over the past two days.
“The paddy plants had just started producing panicles when the erosion began. Nearly one and a half acres of my land have already gone into the river. With no other option, I am now cutting the half-ripe paddy plants. At least the cattle will have something to eat,” he said.
Farmers Nagar Ali and Sabur Naia of the same area said they had borrowed money to buy paddy seedlings and spent heavily on fertilisers, pesticides and fuel for irrigation.
They had hoped to sell the harvest, repay their debts and cover their families' expenses throughout the year. The river, however, has shattered those hopes, leaving them worried about how they will feed their families next year.
Locals said the Brahmaputra had swallowed hundreds of acres of cropland and more than a hundred homesteads in the past year. Several areas of Shoulmari union, including Charipara, Boyatipara, Shekher Bazar and Char Khedaimari Government Primary School, are also facing severe erosion risks.
Tanmay Hasan Tota, another erosion victim, said his family alone had lost around 40 acres of farmland to the river over the past year.
“Erosion has been continuing in Sukhervati and Madhyapara for a long time, but the administration has taken no effective measures. Sandbags have been placed in neighbouring Char Khedaimari, but we have seen no government initiative to protect our areas,” he said, expressing frustration.
AKHM Saidur Rahman, chairman of Char Shoulmari Union Parishad, said severe erosion had been continuing along the Brahmaputra for the past two days, badly affecting wards 6, 7 and 8 of the union.
The Bangladesh Water Development Board (BWDB) has placed a limited number of sandbags to protect the area, but they are being swept away by the strong river current almost immediately, he said.
BWDB Executive Engineer in Kurigram Rakibul Hasan said a lack of funds had prevented the agency from undertaking immediate protective work in the char areas.
“Without a budget, we currently have no scope to carry out protection work in the chars. We have to give greater priority to protecting the main riverbanks,” he said.