United News of Bangladesh

A vital flood control embankment at Saradob village in Kurigram Sadar upazila, is under severe threat as ongoing erosion by the Dharala River continues to damage parts of the Tk 629 crore project. Locals said 30 metres of concrete blocks along the 350-metre stretch of the embankment began collapsing on Friday night, sparking panic among villagers and putting over a thousand families and several thousand hectares of cropland at risk. Although the Water Development Board (WDB) has been dumping sand-filled geo-bags to protect the embankment, residents alleged that sufficient concrete blocks were not placed. Many have been living in fear since the initial collapse. “This embankment is our shield. If it breaks, thousands of hectares of farmland and hundreds of families will be devastated. We have not yet recovered from the 2022 floods. If this embankment washes away, our village will be completely ruined,” said Sirajul Islam, a farmer from Saradob village. Another farmer, Abdul Hossain, raised concerns over irregularities in the construction work. “Due to the lack of required concrete blocks, the embankment is unable to withstand the river current. If it cannot be saved, we will lose everything,” he said. The Tk 629 crore Dharla project, launched in 2020, aims to protect riverbanks in Kurigram. The project encompasses 20.29 kilometres of riverbank protection, 17.9 kilometres of alternative embankment construction, and re-excavation of 14.889 kilometres of flood control embankments. According to the WDB, 97 percent of the work has already been completed. Officials said the project has safeguarded 22,400 families, 50 markets, 30 river ghats, and 10,000 hectares of farmland from seasonal floods. WDB Sub-Divisional Engineer Munna Haque explained that changes in the river’s course due to upstream silt deposits have redirected currents toward the embankment, causing partial collapse. “We are currently dumping geo-bags. Once water levels recede, the damaged section will be repaired,” he added. Executive Engineer Md Rakibul Hasan said the collapsed section was built by contractor Hasibul Hasan of Rangpur, but the work has not yet been officially handed over. “The contractor will have to bear the responsibility if the embankment sustains damage. For now, geo-bags are being used to protect the structure and permanent repairs will be carried out once water levels decrease,” he said.

The mighty Padma River has already swallowed half of three ferry terminals and the entire launch terminal at Paturia in Manikganj, yet urgent protective measures remain stalled amid an administrative deadlock between two state agencies. As the river continues to erode the banks, the Bangladesh Inland Water Transport Authority (BIWTA) insists that river-training work falls under the jurisdiction of the Water Development Board (BWDB). The BWDB, however, argues that maintenance and protection of ferry terminals are the BIWTA’s responsibility. Caught in this tug of war, no effective action has been taken to save the crucial Paturia-Daulatdia ferry route. The lack of coordination has left thousands of passengers and vehicles vulnerable, even though the opening of the Padma Bridge eased some pressure on the crossing. The route remains vital as it links 21 southwestern districts to Dhaka and beyond. Local residents warn that the entire cluster of ferry terminals could soon vanish unless immediate and coordinated efforts are launched. Many accuse the BIWTA of failing to act on repeated warnings from terminal authorities as river levels began to rise with the onset of monsoon rains. The erosion escalated dramatically on August 5 when strong currents battered the launch terminal. Within hours, one jetty collapsed along with three major support pillars, and by nightfall, the terminal had disappeared into the river, witnesses said. The damage soon spread to ferry terminals 3, 4 and 5, crippling pontoons and ramps. On August 7, the BIWTA attempted to contain the erosion by dropping around 400 geo-bags, but the effort proved futile as the current swept them away. On August 8, terminal 4’s ramp and pontoon were torn off and later recovered nearly 1.5 kilometres downstream by a BIWTC rescue tug. A further 700 geo-bags were deployed in the following days, but locals said it was far from sufficient. Frustrated by the minimal response, hundreds of residents staged a demonstration at the ferry ghat on August 17, demanding decisive measures. Abdus Salam, Acting Deputy General Manager of BIWTC’s Aricha office, admitted that the situation is worsening rapidly. “Despite the damage, we are trying to keep ferry services running for public convenience. But it's becoming increasingly difficult due to strong currents and erosion,” he said. Nepal Chandra Debnath, Executive Engineer of BIWTA's Aricha River Port, described the crisis as unprecedented. “We haven’t seen such erosion in two decades. We are placing geo-bags daily but the current is too strong. River training is typically done by the Water Development Board. We've informed both the ministry and the Board in writing. Once a decision comes through major protection works will begin,” he explained. Muhammad Akhtaruzzaman, Executive Engineer of the Manikganj Water Development Board, maintained that responsibility rests elsewhere. “The maintenance and management of the ferry terminals fall under BIWTA. We only provide technical assistance if needed,” he said. After visiting the erosion-hit site, BIWTA’s Chief Engineer Md Mohidul Islam described the crisis as a natural phenomenon. He suggested altering the river’s flow by creating a central channel to help mitigate future erosion. A major river training project had been initiated in 2019 but was discontinued in 2023, he said adding, the government is now considering a fresh project under the Water Development Board, but it is still awaiting inter-ministerial approval.

Bangladesh needs to triple its annual expenditure to successfully implement the Bangladesh Delta Plan 2100 (BDP 2100), the country’s long-term strategy to safeguard water resources and enhance resilience against climate change and natural disasters. The government currently spends around 0.8 percent of GDP on delta management projects, according to officials. Implementing 80 priority projects under the plan will require spending to rise to at least 2.5 percent of GDP in the coming years, said the Climate Financing for Sustainable Development Budget Report 2025-26 of the Finance Ministry. The Delta Plan 2100 was approved in 2018 aiming to harness the huge potential of Bangladesh as a Delta country through water resource management, ensuring food and water security and tackling disasters. It sets three national goals and six specific goals for delta regions after identifying six hotspots: coastal areas, Barendra and drought-prone areas, Haor and flash flood-prone zones, the Chittagong Hill Tracts, riverine areas and estuaries and urban areas. Under its first-phase investment plan up to 2040, the government prioritised 80 projects — 65 infrastructure-related and 15 focused on institutional capacity-building and research, the report says. Achieving BDP 2100’s targets, including food and water security and disaster preparedness will require an estimated $37 billion by 2030, according to an official document, obtained by UNB. The document shows that the plan will be implemented in three phases: short-term (up to 2030), medium-term (up to 2050) and long-term (up to 2100). The Green Climate Fund (GCF) was formed to help developing countries adapt to climate change by limiting or reducing greenhouse gas emissions to combat the damaging effects of climate change. Although Bangladesh has been somewhat successful in receiving funding from the GCF through multilateral organisations, direct funding through government institutions is rare, said Finance Ministry officials. The main challenge for public institutions in the region is the inconsistency of the conditions for receiving funds from the GCF with the domestic methods and practices of public financial management. If the government institutions fail to fulfill these conditions, Bangladesh will be deprived of GCF funds, they said. In view of extreme threats caused by climate change, it is necessary to reconsider the conditions of receiving funds from the GCF for Bangladesh, taking into consideration the existing financial management system and process. The GCF currently has eight projects running in Bangladesh. The total funding amount for the projects is $619.23 million of which $164.86 million is received as grants while the amount of GCF loan is $290 million. The remaining $164.86 million is categorised as Government co-financing. Officials said Bangladesh expects to secure around $2 billion annually from the Green Climate Fund (GCF) while the rest of the financing will come from development partners, foreign direct investment and private sector contributions. The BDP 2100 also projects that the private sector could contribute around 0.5% of GDP annually to support delta management initiatives. Out of the 80 projects, 34 qualify for climate financing, with some, such as the ‘Navigation Protection and Restoration of River Environment around Dhaka City’ under the urban hotspot, offering significant opportunities for both climate and private sector financing. The government has prioritised climate resilience in coastal, riverine, and urban areas under the Bangladesh Delta Plan 2100 (BDP-2100) but drought-prone regions remain largely overlooked, according to official data. Out of 80 priority projects identified for the first phase of implementation till 2040, 34 are climate-relevant, focusing on adaptation, mitigation and resilience. Coastal areas have received the highest attention with 13 out of 23 projects targeting protection against sea-level rise, salinity, and cyclones. River areas and estuaries follow, with five of seven projects addressing erosion and flooding risks. Urban areas, particularly Dhaka and other major cities, also feature prominently, with five climate-related projects tackling waterlogging, pollution, and river restoration. Haor and flash flood-prone zones have four of six projects marked as climate-relevant, reflecting their vulnerability to seasonal flooding. The Barendra and drought-prone regions, however, have no climate-relevant projects, despite being highly exposed to water scarcity and temperature extremes.

In three and a half months since the third week of May, rough weather events, including heavy rains, squalls and high tides, prompted the Bangladesh Meteorological Department to issue a marine cautionary signal 13 times. Back-to-back low pressures together with strong monsoon triggered the rough weather events, leading to frequent announcements of cautionary signal number three, with its direct and indirect consequences felt across Bangladesh. The direct consequences saw strong waves and tides lashing Bangladesh’s coast, rivers rapidly swelling and frequently crossing their danger marks, and heavy rains abruptly disrupting life and business.      Well-off city dwellers mostly felt the rough weather consequences indirectly, in the high prices of Hilsa and vegetables. “Bad weather greatly reduced Hilsa production. The sea remained rough so often that we could barely afford to go fishing,” said Al Amin, a fish trader based in Mohipur of Patuakhali. Three trawlers that Al Amin recently sent for fishing in the Bay of Bengal returned in less than two days. The trawlers caught Hilsa worth Tk 5 lakh on average, a fifth of a regular seasonal production.  “Sea fishing accounts for at least 70 per cent of annual Hilsa production,” said Md. Anisur Rahman, a Hilsa researcher and former director at the Bangladesh Fisheries Research Institute.  Fishing usually requires farmers to travel 12 hours to the sea. In a recent field visit, officials at the Bangladesh Meteorological Department found that fishing by ordinary trawlers along the Bangladesh coast starts about 50km off the coast. The BMD’s forecast reaches a maximum distance of 57km off the coast. Two of the latest low-pressure systems originated in the gap of less than two days. The last one formed on August 27 and dissolved on August 29. Hilsa catching usually goes on in full swing in August, flooding the kitchen markets. Schools of Hilsa fish are expected to be swimming through sweet water along rivers and salt water along the coast in August. Hilsa season continues until the ban comes in October. In the ongoing month alone, particularly after August 13, the BMD issued the cautionary signal four times. July saw the signal issued four times, June three times and May twice. The signals signified a great disruption in fishing, particularly after the universal ban on the activity for two months from March to April. A cautionary signal could remain in effect from three to five days when heavy rain, wind rising up to 50 kmph and tide leaping up to five meters could occur, separately and simultaneously. Such weather conditions prevailed on 39 to 65 days of roughly the last 100 days due to the interaction between wind and temperature in the Bay of Bengal, which is roughly 15 times the size of Bangladesh. “The monsoon was rather strong this year and the overall weather condition was not comfortable for many people,” said Muhammad Abul Kalam Mallik, a senior meteorologist at the BMD. Worse than Before? Bangladesh this year saw the earliest onset of monsoon, which signifies a seasonal shift in wind flow, particularly from the south to the north, in four and a half decades. Since 1981, according to the Changing Climate of Bangladesh report released by the BMD in 2024, the monsoon arrived at Bangladesh’s coast in late May 11 times, eight of them occurring since 2000. Monsoon officially begins in June. The influence of global warming on monsoons, which impact South Asian and Southeast Asian regions, is still being studied. Some studies indicated less generation of low-pressure systems in the Bay of Bengal due to global warming. The BMD’s changing climate study further corroborated a World Bank report stating that global warming was altering Bangladesh’s seasonal pattern. Ten or more low-pressure systems formed in a single monsoon season only six times, according tolow-pressure data released by the BMD covering the years from 1981 to 2019. The highest 13 low-pressure systems formed during the monsoon of 1989.         The ongoing monsoon saw the generation of at least six low pressure systems with a month in the season still to go. The last monsoon month, which is September, historically sees more low-pressure systems compared with other monsoon months. In April this year, the US-based private research university Massachusetts Institute of Technology predicted that monsoon and cyclone seasons would overlap due to changing climate, which will also unleash a once-in-a-century storm tide once every decade. A low-pressure system, on the other hand, is born when more air rises, leading to low surface pressure. Scientists say increased temperature causes more air to rise while increasing the atmosphere’s capacity to hold water vapor. Both monsoon and low-pressure systems move toward land, packed with rain, wind and tide. Inside the Impact Zone Frequent low pressures, with the potential to intensify into cyclones, could bear long-term consequences for the inhabitants of Bangladesh, a low-lying delta ranked as one of the most climate-vulnerable countries in the world. Since the ongoing monsoon set in, low-pressure-triggered inclement weather breached levees, washed away houses and crops and frequently disrupted electricity supply to millions of people. Inclement weather during the period also frequently suspended waterway communication, swamped villages, cities and towns and caused hundreds to leave home to escape flash floods and landslides. Though well-off citizens saw their livelihood intact despite bad weather, many of the poor, accounting for nearly a third of 171 million people, found it to be crippling. Livelihood requires the poor to go outside, whether they are farmers in villages or rickshaw pullers or transport workers or construction workers living in cities and towns. Almost record-breaking rains swept parts of Bangladesh in June, with Teknaf, Bangladesh’s farthest southern land tip, recording more than 1,144mm of rainfall, which is slightly below its historical record of 1,290mm and more than four times the normal amount of rain expected in the first monsoon month, according to data released by the Flood Forecasting and Warning Centre. Khagrachhari’s Ramgarh and Feni’s Parshuram also recorded far higher than usual rainfall in the same month. In July, the FFWC data showed, Teknaf witnessed over 1,384 mm of rainfall, slightly below the historical record of rain of 1,432mm and over four times the normal expected rain. Cox’s Bazar recorded 1,401 mm of rainfall against the month’s normal rainfall of about 945mm, while Noakhali witnessed 1,171mm of rainfall against the normal rainfall of about 739mm. Parshuram recorded 872 mm of rainfall against the month’s usual rainfall record of about 562mm. On July 7, the FFWC reported, the Muhuri River swelled 509 cm in six hours until 3:00pm while the Belonia River rose 532cm in eight hours until 5:00pm. Newspapers reported that the spell of heavy rainfall had continued for at least two more days, sinking many villages, towns and cities under up-to knee-deep water, and washing away houses, crops and fish enclosures. A flash flood struck Feni, Noakhali and Cumilla districts. For many living along the coast, the July disaster came on the heels of the previous one that struck on May 30. Millions were left without electricity in 14 districts along the coast hit by heavy rains and high wind and tides.  

The interim government has approved a one-year extension of a major project, ‘BMR of Carew & Co (BD) Ltd (2nd Revised)’, attributing the decision to the unavailability of experts amid shifting circumstances following August 5, 2024. “…the delay in the arrival of Indian experts due to the changing circumstances, it was not possible to conduct a trial run during the last threshing season,” says the project document obtained by UNB. The project period has been extended for the sixth time, without involving any additional costs, as the trial run of the newly installed machinery could not be completed in the last crushing season due to delays in the arrival of Indian experts. The project, overseen by the Ministry of Industries and implemented by the Bangladesh Sugar and Food Industries Corporation (BSFIC), is now scheduled for completion by June 2026. It aims to replace the 83-year-old sugar unit of Carew & Company (BD) Ltd, while maintaining the mill’s existing sugarcane crushing and sugar production capacity. It also seeks to minimise process losses through the modernisation of sugarcane crushing and sugar processing machinery. According to project officials, almost all machinery installation and related civil works have been completed by Bangladesh Machine Tools Factory (BMTF). But the trial run, necessary to test the performance parameters of the upgraded sugar unit during a full crushing season, could not be carried out in the 2024-25 season, which ended on March 8, 2025. “The trial run requires the presence of Indian experts to supervise and certify the performance of the modernised equipment. Due to changing unavoidable circumstances, they could not arrive in time,” an official at BSFIC told UNB. As of June 2025, the project achieved 98% physical progress and incurred an expenditure of Tk 80.06 crore, representing 78.32% of its estimated budget of Tk 102.21 crore. Planning Commission officials said the project, once completed, will enhance sugarcane crushing and production capacity while reducing processing losses at the country’s oldest state-owned sugar mill, which is over 83 years old. The revised deadline will allow the mill to conduct a comprehensive trial run during the 2025-26 crushing season and ensure full commissioning of the modernised unit. The 2024-25 threshing season ended on 8 March 2025. Due to the delay in the arrival of Indian experts due to the changed situation, it was not possible to conduct a trial run in the last threshing season. In that context, it has been proposed to extend the period of the project with a view to completing the trial run in the current 2025-26 sugarcane threshing season. The Economic Committee of the National Economic Council (Ecnec) approved the plan on April 20, 2012, involving Tk 46.57 crore to modernize Carew & Co (Bangladesh) Ltd, aiming to reduce production costs and increase output. The project cost was later revised to Tk 102.21 crore on November 4, 2018, reflecting a 120% increase to accommodate expanded modernization needs. Located inside the Darsana Sugar Mills compound in Chuadanga, Carew & Co is the only licensed distillery in Bangladesh, operating under the Bangladesh Sugar and Food Industries Corporation (BSFIC). It is also one of the 15 state-run sugar mills, and notably, one of the few that consistently generate profit. Carew & Co traces its origins to 1803, when British businessman John Maxwell established the first distillery in the Indian subcontinent in Kanpur, Uttar Pradesh. Later, Robert Russell Carew, a spirits specialist, partnered with Maxwell and eventually took over the business with two other investors. In 1897, the company became a joint-stock company and expanded operations to Asansol, Katni, and Darsana in what is now Bangladesh. After Bangladesh’s independence in 1971, the government nationalised the Darsana facility in 1973, transforming it into Carew & Co (Bangladesh) Ltd. Carew & Co now covers 3,572 acres of land, including 2,450 acres where sugarcane is cultivated. It mainly produces sugar and utilizes by-products to make liquor, vinegar, spirits and organic fertilizers. It has more than 200 agents and 13 distributors for marketing nine brands of high-quality liquor, both domestic and foreign-style. This industrial plan remains a vital player in the country’s agro-industrial sector as a profitable, tax-paying state enterprise along with upholding a historical legacy.

When the opening chords of ‘Baaji’ rolled out on Coke Studio Bangla’s Season 3, marking the return of the platform after more than a year - listeners expected another reimagined track that fused folk lyricism with modern instrumentation. What they didn’t expect was a moment of quiet revelation - a glimpse of the poet himself, whose words had long travelled beyond him. At the 4:12 mark of the song, the camera shifted, and there he was: Hashim Mahmud. Not just a name in the credits, not just a ghost behind beloved verses, but a living presence, lending his own fragile yet resonant voice. Sometimes, a song finds its way into the world long before its singer does. It drifts across radios, lingers in conversations, seeps into crowded streets, carrying the echo of a name - and still unfortunately remains unknown to many. For decades, that was the story of poet-lyricist-singer Hashim Mahmud. His words travelled far, his melodies endured, but the man himself seemed to slip quietly into the shadows. For years, Mahmud’s poetry has coursed through Bangladesh’s cultural bloodstream. Around Dhaka University’s Faculty of Fine Art, popularly known as Charukala - and other places in the campus including the popular Chhobir Haat, he was once a familiar figure, scribbling in notebooks, crafting songs that married the rawness of folk with the grit of his urban bohemian life. Speculations and curiosity around artist Hashim Mahmud began through the massively popular song ‘Sada Sada Kala Kala’ from Mejbaur Rahman Sumon’s 2022 film ‘Hawa’. Hashim Mahmud’s long-time friend, teacher at the Faculty of Fine Arts and its current Dean, Professor Dr Azharul Islam Sheikh Chanchal, first published the now widely discussed song ‘Baaji’ on Facebook in 2019. It was recorded on mobile at the veranda of the Department of Ceramics, Faculty of Fine Arts, featuring his friend Hashim; and from that Facebook post, Hashim Mahmud once again gained recognition at home and abroad. Peers call him a 'modern urban poet' and for good reason; his words bear an edge, transforming everyday speech into haunting lyricism. Songs like ‘Kotha Koiyo Na’ from Coke Studio Bangla’s second season and the crowd favourite ‘Sada Sada Kala Kala’ etched themselves into the memory of Bangladesh’s cultural circles. Yet while his words resonated, the man himself receded into the margins. A cruel illness of forgetting began to erase what he had created.

At least 141 people were killed in road accidents on highways in Cumilla, including the Dhaka-Chattogram highway and other connecting roads, in the first eight months of this year. Among them, 20 lives were lost at a single U-turn point in Padua Bazar on the Dhaka-Chattogram highway, according to Highway Police data. From January to August, 209 accidents left over 250 people injured, while 140 cases were filed in connection with the accidents, said the Cumilla regional office of Highway Police. The month-wise death toll shows 16 fatalities in January, 16 in February, 10 in March, 22 in April, 20 in May, 25 in June, 18 in July and 14 in August. Highway Police attributed the rising number of accidents to reckless speeding, wrong-way driving, careless pedestrian crossings, illegal U-turns and risky conditions of damaged roads.  They said while bus-truck collisions claim multiple lives at a time, fatal crashes involving high-speed motorcycles are also rising sharply. Crashes are being reported not only on the Dhaka–Chattogram highway (104 km within Cumilla) but also on the Cumilla-Sylhet regional highway (66 km), the Cumilla–Noakhali highway (48 km), and other major roads in the district.  Tragic accidents frequently destroy the dreams and existence of entire families. One of the deadliest incidents occurred on August 22 when a private car carrying a family was crushed under a lorry at Padua Bazar U-turn.  Omar Ali, his wife Nurjahan Begum, and their two sons Hashem and Kashem died instantly while returning to their home in Hosainpur village, Barura upazila.  CCTV footage showed the car attempting to cross without a safe gap before colliding with a bus coming from the wrong direction. A speeding lorry then lost control and smashed into the car, also hitting a CNG-run auto-rickshaw nearby. Highway Police (East) Superintendent Khairul Islam said Cumilla’s highways lack proper infrastructure to handle the growing volume of traffic and pedestrians. “Alongside police vigilance, the roads must be redesigned with service lanes, underpasses and overpasses. We are working on speed control, removing unfit vehicles and restricting three-wheelers, but manpower is limited,” he said. He also said  many U-turns, built near businesses and hotels, should be closed. “These U-turns may benefit local businesses but they are killing people. The Roads and Highways Department must take responsibility to shut them down,” he added. Abdul Hannan, organiser of Nirapad Chalok Chai, said the recurring deaths highlight systemic negligence. “Reckless driving, unskilled drivers and weak enforcement keep fueling the death toll. Authorities show temporary vigilance after major crashes but soon everything goes silent. Planned highways and responsible drivers are the only way forward,” he said.  

The government has granted a one-year extension for the Kalurghat Bridge to Chaktai Canal Road project, now due in June 2026, as bureaucratic snarls in land acquisition stall critical work despite 82% completion and over Tk 2,200 crore already spent. The Tk 2,779.39 crore project, being implemented by the Chattogram Development Authority (CDA) under the Ministry of Housing and Public Works, was originally set from July 2017 to June 2020, then extended multiple times, officials said. Road collapse paralyses 12 villages in Cumilla It was first extended to June 2021, then to June 2022, with the second revision approving an extension to June 2024, followed by another extension to June 2025, and most recently to June 2026, all without any additional cost increase. Initially approved in July 2017 with a deadline of June 2020, the project has undergone several deadline extensions to overcome land acquisition delays and technical hurdles, according to an official document obtained by UNB. The project, fully funded by the government, was initially approved at Tk 2,275.52 crore, later revised to Tk 2,310.24 crore in the first revision, and further increased to Tk 2,779.39 crore in the second revision. According to the ministry, the project is crucial for protecting key industrial and commercial areas, including Chaktai, Khatunganj, Bokshirhat, Bakalia, Chandgaon and Kalurghat industrial zones, from flooding and tidal surges. The project aims to ease traffic congestion by linking the Dhaka-Chattogram and Chattogram-Cox’s Bazar highways, while also improving Chattogram’s communication system and protecting the city from tidal flooding as part of the proposed outer ring road. Despite significant progress — with 82% of physical work completed and Tk 2,203.59 crore (79.28%) spent up to March 2025 — delays in land acquisition, due to complexities in the economic code for land purchase, stalled work on 2 km of the road and two regulators. Moulvibazar’s roads in ruins, locals plead for repairs The ministry has justified the extension of the project period without any cost increase, stating that the ‘Construction of Road along the Bank of the Karnaphuli River from Kalurghat Bridge to Chaktai Canal’ project is a publicly significant initiative. Under the project, a 1.50-kilometre embankment-cum-road, 12 regulators at the mouths of 12 canals falling into the Karnaphuli River, slope protection work, retaining walls and waterways will be constructed. The second revised DPP was approved by ECNEC on August 16, 2022, and tenders for the remaining works were invited in line with the approved DPP. The Cabinet Committee on Government Purchase approved the tenders on July 13, 2023, and the contractor signed the contract on July 30, 2023. But the Ministry of Finance withheld land acquisition funds in 2022-23 and 2023-24, leaving a 2-km stretch uncompensated and halting work on two regulators and the embankment-cum-road. “Currently, the DPP is being amended to facilitate the release of funds for the remaining land acquisition activities,” said an official wishing anonymity. As the current project deadline is June 2025, he said, an additional one-year extension until June 2026, without any increase in cost. The Implementation Monitoring and Evaluation Division (IMED) also approved the extension with strict conditions, including completion of all remaining work within the new deadline under a specific action plan and submission of the Project Completion Report within three months of finishing. It also instructed faster land acquisition for the remaining 2 km after fixing the relevant issues.    

A mysterious disease has broken out in Pirgacha Upazila of Rangpur, leaving over 200 people infected and triggering widespread panic. Locals report that the outbreak began after livestock fell ill and subsequently died. Despite weeks of emerging cases, neither the health nor the livestock departments have taken visible measures, often blaming each other for inaction. Thousands in Pirgacha now live in fear as patients develop painful skin lesions. The symptoms initially appear as rashes, which then progress into large sores and, eventually, deep wounds, according to the locals. Local health workers shared that the symptoms resemble anthrax, a serious bacterial infection often transmitted from animals to humans. Civil Surgeon of Rangpur Dr Shahin Sultana said she was unaware of the outbreak. “If such cases exist, the livestock department should first act. Once our field staff report back, we can form a medical team,” she said. A field visit to Pirgacha revealed the scale of the crisis. Nearly every union, including Sadar, Tambulpur, Chawla, Parul and Itakumari, reported similar cases. The worst affected areas are Sadar, Chawla and Tambulpur unions. Excess salt in processed foods fueling rise in Non-Communicable Diseases: Experts Sabina Akhter of Anantarampur village described how her livestock fell ill earlier this month. “One by one, my cows and goats developed high fevers and died within days. While caring for them, I suddenly noticed rashes on my hands. Within two days, they turned into painful sores,” she told UNB. Sabina is among more than 200 confirmed patients, all of whom had either handled sick animals or processed their meat. Infected villagers say the outbreak has persisted for at least six weeks. Many livestock die within 24 hours of showing symptoms. Without veterinary intervention, farmers are selling off sick animals at throwaway prices, which has further spread the infection. Fifty-year-old Zaheda Begum recalled how a small itch on her finger escalated into a rotting wound. “The skin turned black and now the pain is unbearable. Another finger has started showing the same signs,” she said tearfully. Farmer Azizul Haque, from Chawla union, explained, “We care for sick animals, and when they get worse, some villagers slaughter them. People who touch or cook the meat later fall sick themselves.” 71% of deaths in Bangladesh are caused by non-communicable diseases: Experts

The students and staff of Karim Ullah High School in Matubhuna Union of Daganbhuiyan upazila are facing a growing crisis as relentless riverbank erosion threatens to swallow the school building, putting education in danger. Built in 2016 with funding from the founder’s sons, Tareque Mahtab Rahim and Javed Salam Rahim, the school, having 405 students and 13 teachers, now hangs precariously over the Katakhali River as heavy rainfall and rising water levels accelerate erosion along its banks. A massive crack has appeared on the northern side of the structure, raising fears that the building could collapse at any moment. The five-room building, which accommodates class-7 students, elective subjects for classes 9 and 10, a library and a prayer space for female students, has become unsafe due to the river’s powerful current intensified by prolonged rainfall. Cracks have also developed in the nearby Shaheed Minar structure, adding to the anxiety of the local community. “We attend our group subject classes in that building. We're scared it might collapse into the river any time. Authorities must act quickly to protect it,” said Adnan Bin Alam, a class-10 student. Parents are equally concerned, as Minal Das Gupta said, “We’re in a state of constant anxiety. A major accident could happen if the building falls. If flooding occurs this year, the building could be completely lost.” Local resident Abul Kashem recalled past protective measures, “A few years ago, a grid wall was built by the district council to protect the erosion, but it’s now gone due to the intense flow of water.” 284 flood-hit schools in Feni remain unrepaired; Tk 12.99 crore goes back unspent  School authorities have also raised an alarm. “The building is extremely risky now. Any moment it could collapse into the river. We’ve informed the Upazila Nirbahi Officer (UNO) and the Upazila Secondary Education Officer,” said Golam Basir Bhuiyan, the school’s headmaster. Main Uddin Azad, president of the School Management Committee, urged urgent government intervention, stating, “The current condition of the building is critical. Without a permanent riverbank protection project, future flooding could wash away more infrastructures. We’re seeking urgent government support for the building’s reconstruction.”