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A 40-metre section of an embankment along the Brahmaputra River has collapsed in Chilmari upazila of Kurigram, putting homes, farmland and a local road at risk.
The collapse occurred in the Kachkal Kediowari area of Raniganj Union late Thursday night, triggering panic among local residents.
A visit to the site on Friday found strong currents crashing against the damaged section, while large cracks had developed at several points along the embankment. Locals fear further sections could collapse at any time.
Abdul Karim, a local resident, said the embankment gave way with a loud noise during the night.
“We are extremely worried about our homes. If immediate measures are not taken, the entire area could be washed away by the river,” he said.
Officials of the Bangladesh Water Development Board, local representatives and a delegation representing a reserved women’s parliamentary seat visited the site on Friday after the collapse.
Professor Fazlul Haque, a representative of the reserved-seat lawmaker, said emergency measures would be taken to protect the vulnerable section by placing geobags along the riverbank.
Mohammad Rakibul Hasan, executive engineer of the Kurigram Water Development Board, said a development project proposal had been submitted for the long-term protection of a 4.1-km vulnerable stretch in the Kachkal Kediowari area.
“Once the project is approved and implemented, we hope the erosion problem will be resolved in the long term,” he said.
