Farmers fear losing their last means of survival to Modhumoti

The Modhumoti River is swallowing Aminur Rahman’s farmland. Each fresh bite brings him closer to losing the only means his family has to survive.

The farmer from Pankharchar village in Gopalganj’s Fukura Union watches the erosion with tears in his eyes. His plot is all he owns, and the river now threatens to take even that.

“If we lose our land, we will have nothing left to live on. We are poor people; this plot is our only asset,” he says, gazing at the water with anguish.

He appeals to the government to build a permanent embankment urgently, warning that without protection, homes and cultivated fields will disappear into the river.

For Jamal Hossain, 45, the damage has already begun. He farmed 3 Bighas (nearly 0.4 hectares) of his own and leased another four, relying on the 7 Bighas (nearly 0.94 hectares) to keep his household afloat. Modhumoti erosion has swallowed four bighas; he fears the rest will follow.

They are far from alone. Many farmers in Pankharchar have already lost land, while others live under the threat of watching their fields vanish.

A visit to the area found fresh erosion along the river. Nearly 30 Bighas (nearly 4.02 hectares) of cropland have already been lost, leaving farmers distressed and uncertain about their livelihoods. Hundreds more Bighas, roads and homesteads remain at risk.

The threatened fields grow Boro and Aman rice, sugarcane and other crops. With the river advancing, farmers fear losing both the harvest and the homes they have built around their land.

“Fields are breaking away into the river right before our eyes. We can do nothing,” said farmer Md Moniruzzaman. “Our families depend on cultivating this land. One plot after another is disappearing, and we fear losing what remains.”

Without land, he asked, how would they feed their families or survive? He urged authorities to act quickly to save their fields.

But the Gopalganj Water Development Board says it has no immediate plan. Assistant Engineer Hasan Ahmed said the agency was unaware of the erosion and lacked sufficient funds this year. If allocations are secured later, he said, measures would be taken in affected areas.