Local people on Monday staged a demonstration by blocking roads demanding effective measures to stop the devastating erosion of the Meghna River.

Several hundred residents of Shibpur and Medua unions took position in front of the Water Development Board, Bhola and besieged the office at Jugirghol around 10 am.

The protesters also brought out a procession before blocking roads.

Vehicular movement on Bhola-Charfassion road remained suspended for an hour following the road blockade programme, creating a long tailback on both sides of the road.

The protesters said vast areas have already been engulfed by the river and no steps were taken yet regarding the issue.

Locals said they had earlier submitted memorandums to the district administration and Water Development Board (WBD) urging action against riverbank erosion, but no effective steps were taken.

As a result, hundreds of homes, croplands and even the earthen embankments have been lost, severely affecting agriculture and livelihoods.

Every year during the monsoon, large portions of the three unions are swallowed by the Meghna.

The erosion is destroying homes, roads, mosques, madrasas and schools. Many families have been rendered helpless and the lives and livelihoods are now in grave danger, said the protesters.

The protesters said that the ongoing erosion has increased waterlogging and prolonged flooding, putting around 50,000 residents and more than 100 educational institutions in these unions at risk.

They demanded the urgent construction of sustainable embankments using CC blocks.

They also feared that the Bhola town might go under water if permanent solutions are not taken soon.

The protesters also threatened to launch tougher movements if their demands are not met.

Later, following assurances from WDB Executive Engineer Md Zia Uddin Arif and Executive Magistrate Ziaul Haque from the DC office, the protesters withdrew the blockade.

Zia Uddin said that emergency protective work using geo-bags and tube-bags would begin immediately in the erosion-hit areas, including Shibpur.

A Tk 730 crore project proposal has been submitted for the protection of a 4-km stretch of the riverbank and construction of a 6-km flood control embankment. Work will start promptly once the project receives approval, he added.