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A critical section of the Shaharabari protection dyke along the Jamuna River in Bogura's Dhunat upazila has experienced severe erosion, with at least 80 meters of the spur collapsing into the water since yesterday. This rapid deterioration has forced residents living near the riverbank to dismantle their homes and seek shelter elsewhere, fearing further collapse.

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This part of the Jamuna river has been eroding for the last three years, and no one has been able to stop it. Yesterday, erosion hit the middle of the spur. I am now taking shelter at my father’s house with my husband and child.

The Water Development Board (WDB) is actively working to contain the situation by dumping sand-filled geo bags and geo tubes into the river near the damaged spur. This intervention follows a previous incident on July 12, where another 30 meters of the dyke had already given way. Locals, however, point to unplanned sand extraction in front of the spur as the primary trigger for the escalating erosion.

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I used to own 18 bighas of land here, but all of it is now under the river. I have shifted my house seven times before. We are poor and helpless. There is no one to stand by us.

Residents describe a desperate struggle against the relentless river. Jannatul Begum, 25, shared her fear after the erosion reached the middle of the spur, forcing her to take shelter at her father's house with her family. Asadul Islam, 40, is relocating his house 5km away to Gosaibari, lamenting the loss of his 18 bighas of land to the river and having moved his house seven times previously. He expressed feelings of helplessness, stating, "We are poor and helpless. There is no one to stand by us."

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If the WDB had taken measures earlier, this risk could have been avoided. People are now forced to move their houses out of fear.

Local leader Suhrowardi warned that the failure of the spur could endanger 20 to 25 surrounding villages. Union Parishad Chairman Belal Hossain Babu criticized the WDB for not taking earlier measures, suggesting the current risk could have been avoided. Over the past four decades, the river has claimed nearly 10 villages and hundreds of bighas of arable land in the Bhandarbari union. Despite Tk 6 crore spent in 2003 on constructing transverse spurs and a concrete casting, the structure has repeatedly failed during monsoon currents. Mahmud Hasan, executive engineer of Bogura WDB, attributed the erosion to rapid water recession, changing river courses, and current shifts, downplaying the role of sand mining.

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Sand extraction has no connection to this erosion. Immense water pressure from the narrowing river is the main cause.