Over a thousand residents of Nunkhawa Union in Nageshwari, Kurigram formed a human chain on Friday afternoon along the Dudhkumar River demanding the immediate construction of a permanent embankment to halt ongoing severe riverbank erosion.
Gathering at Kathgiri Hajipara, men, women and children voiced their desperation over losing homesteads and agricultural land. Speakers noted that while monsoon floods swallowed more than 100 homes and vast crop fields, erosion continues unabated even during the dry season. Key community infrastructure including mosques, madrasas, schools and local markets is currently at immediate risk.
Affected locals expressed deep frustration with the Water Development Board, alleging that repeated appeals for protective works have yielded no action. Displaced residents also some forced to relocate five to six times, shared heartbreaking accounts of being left destitute and living in temporary shelters along eroding banks.
Local leaders and community members warned that without urgent government intervention to build a permanent defense wall, entire villages across two union wards face complete disappearance into the river.
