Meghna River that has featured in films, poems and folklores has now turned into a curse for villagers living along it.    In the last 10 years the river has swallowed croplands, houses, school buildings leaving thousands homeless. It has eroded its banks by its strong tide. The onslaught goes on unabated both during the dry season and the monsoon. Around 170 sq km area in Ramgati and Kamalnagar upazilas of Lakshmipur in the last 10 years as erosion by the river continues, according to data derived by reviewing and analysing government documents and interviewing  the residents in these areas. Read Tagore’s historic Kuthibari is threatened by river erosion, locals scream for help Last Monday, Char Balua Government Primary School building in Ramgati upazila collapsed into the riverbed within seconds, a sad portrayal of the helplessness of people in these areas to river erosion. According to the survivors of the Meghna erosion on the Laxmipur coast, the severity of it has been three times more in the last 10 years compared to any time in the past. Lakhs of people had lost their land to Meghna and became homeless during this time. Read Climate migration in Bangladesh may increase 7-fold by 2050: ActionAid In addition to the erosion, abnormal tidal water has been inundating localities and inhabited land , adding to the miseries of the residents.

Residents of Mogolbasa union of the sadar upazila formed a human chain on Wednesday demanding immediate steps to save them from erosion.