Dhanpur Government Primary School No. 93 in Netrakona’s Barhatta Upazila is on the verge of collapsing into the Kangsha River threatening the education and safety of 130 students. The school building now stands less than 10 feet from the eroding riverbank.
Established in 1996 about 100 meters inland the school has faced gradual erosion for 15 years. However locals report the erosion rapidly worsened following the 2020 river excavation and the construction of a protective embankment for Mohanganj municipality on the opposite bank which intensified the water flow on the Dhanpur side.
Despite repeated appeals and inclusion in Water Development Board (WDB) project lists, no permanent embankment has been built. Minor local repairs using bamboo and soil bags have failed to halt the encroaching water.
The immediate threat is causing severe anxiety among parents. "The river is so close that an accident could happen at any time. Many parents now wait at the school during classes," said Umm Hafsa, a student’s mother.
Headmaster Anisur Rahman submitted a written appeal on April 21, 2026. While local officials and WDB representatives visited and promised immediate action, no visible work has begun. Barhatta Acting Education Officer Ziaul Haque confirmed the school is marked as highly vulnerable and the issue escalated to higher authorities, though he noted immediate permanent dam construction remains unfeasible.
Locals are demanding urgent temporary measures such as dumping sandbags, to prevent the building from being swallowed when floodwaters recede. Without immediate intervention this three-decade-old institution—and the educational future of its students—will be lost to the river.
