Uzzal Roy,  Narail 

People living along the banks of the Madhumati River in Kashipur village under Lohagara upazila of Narail are facing severe hardships due to unexpected river erosion. Though the monsoon hasn't yet arrived, residents have already lost homesteads and farmland, leaving many in distress.“I’ve lost my home only because of sand extraction. I have no land elsewhere. My husband is no longer alive, I don’t have a son—only four daughters. Where am I supposed to go?” said 65-year-old Shamsunnahar Begum.
She added that even though there was no rain in January, erosion had already begun. Now the remaining part of her homestead is also collapsing. Once the rains begin, she fears everything will be washed away, and she has nowhere to go.A visit to Kashipur, Makrail, Ramchandrapur, and Nawkola villages revealed that although river levels are low and there are no waves, erosion continues. Sandbags provided by the Water Development Board have been washed away in many places, weakening the embankments and intensifying erosion. Many people, like Shamsunnahar, have already lost their homes and farmland to the river.The erosion also poses a threat to several key structures including the Makrail Government Primary School, built in 1945 during British rule, three other schools, mosques, a government housing project, and rural roads.Local residents say that while erosion during the rainy season is common in the region, it had somewhat decreased in recent years due to sandbag embankments by the Water Development Board. However, due to both legal and illegal sand extraction using dredgers, the embankments have collapsed, causing erosion to return—now even before the monsoon.

Elderly resident Morjina Begum said, “Our house was washed away twice by the river before. We built again with great hardship, but now this house is also at risk.”Fazlul Mridha from Makrail said, “We’ve lost several acres of land to the river. One of my brothers has already dismantled his home and moved elsewhere due to the fear of erosion. Sand extraction has eroded the embankments in front of our house. Even the British-era school nearby is now at risk.”Residents state that though they recently complained and illegal sand lifting has been stopped and the sand lease canceled, they are still worried. They want a permanent solution so that erosion doesn’t continue. They suggest placing more sandbags in critical spots for temporary protection and demand the construction of sustainable embankments.

Lohagara Upazila Executive Officer Abu Riyad said, “We’ve already canceled the lease of the sand quarries in the area due to riverbank erosion. If anyone is found lifting sand illegally, legal action will be taken.”

Narail Water Development Board Executive Engineer Abhijit Kumar Saha said, “Irregular sand extraction has damaged our protective embankments. We’ve worked with the administration to cancel leases and stop illegal activities. Steps are being taken to repair the damaged embankments.”