Riverbank erosion may make 37,000 people landless this year

BSS, Dhaka :
The four major rivers – the Jamuna, the Ganges, the Padma and the lower Meghna may grab around 3700 hectares of land leaving 36,680 people landless and homeless this year.
A prediction report of Centre for Environmental and Geographic Information Services (CEGIS) said 485 hectares of settlement, 5.6 kilometers(km) of active embankment and about nine km roads are vulnerable to erosion along the four rivers. The erosion prediction-2014 for the Jamuna, Ganges, Padma, and the Lower Meghna rivers was released on Thursday at a seminar at BRAC Centre Inn.
Water Resources Minister Barrister Anisul Islam Mahmud, State Minister for Water Resources Muhammad Nazrul Islam, Water Resource Secretary Dr Zafar Ahmed Khan, vice Chancellor of BRAC University Prof Dr Anun Nishat, Executive Director of CEGIS Eng Md Waji Ullah, water experts, engineers and officials, among others, addressed the seminar with director general of Bangladesh Water Development Board Md Shahidur Rahman in the chair.
Deputy executive director of CEGIS Dr Maminul Haque Sarker presented the keynote paper titled ‘Subsidence and Regional Sea Level in Bangladesh’ at the seminar.
Anika Tahsin and Rifat Anwar of CEGIS jointly presented the ‘Riverbank Erosion Prediction-2014 at the seminar. Large portion of slum and floating people in major cities particularly in Dhaka are the victims of riverbank erosion, Anisul said adding it is very urgent to check riverbank erosion to protect the people from untold sufferings.
“Our major rivers are so vast in size and morphologies of these rivers are very much complex. Local expertise and indigenous knowledge are more effective to manage the rivers,” he added.
Anisul urged the water development officials to work with sincerity and honesty to face the challenges of riverbank erosion to save lives and property.
In her presentation, Anika said the Jamuna, Ganges and the Padma eroded about 3190 hectares of land, 244 hectares of settlement, 2.8 km of active embankment nearly seven km roads in 2013.
Rifat said assessment of riverbank erosion prediction made for 2013 showed a very good match with occurrences, especially in the Jamuna river. She said erosion occurred in almost all the locations of the Jamuna as predicted by CEGIS.
The CEGIS sources said the CEGIS has been carrying out river bank erosion prediction report every year from 2004 with the support of different government and non- government organizations.
They said CEGIS made the forecast by using satellite images and GIS technology as well as history of erosion along rivers.