Not only the Teesta, but the Gangadhar river has also turned turbulent in Kurigram. Over the past few weeks, the raging river has swallowed large swathes of land in Nageshwari, rendering several families homeless. Jalepara, Ramdatta and Raghurvita villages are the worst affected. This monsoon season alone, 50 families have lost their homes and livelihoods due to land erosion by the Gangadhar river. Read Fight the Flood: Safety measures to take before, during, after floods in Bangladesh Every year, the river is swollen by seasonal rains and the erosion mainly takes place after the water from the monsoon subsides and the brittle soil on the banks collapses. Despite the erosion eating into the village roads and farm lands, local residents claim, no effective measures have been taken by the authorities yet, and they now live under the fear of losing their lives too. Many homeless people have now taken shelter at Raghurvita Government Primary School. Chandra and Bhanuram Biswas of Jalepara are among the unfortunate ones. Read: Teesta turns turbulent in Kurigram; leaves 100 families homeless "Every time, the river swallows our homes, we are forced to start from the beginning. This time, we have lost everything -- house, belongings and some money we had saved for the rainy day," the duo said. Kaledanga Jame Mosque, Ramdatta Jame Mosque, Ramdatta Mahila Hafeza Madrasa, Krishnapur Nurani Hafezia Madrasa, and the only paved road in Krishnapur now stand threatened by the Gangadhar. Akmal Hossain, a public representative, told UNB that the Water Development Board didn't take any visible steps this monsoon to prevent the problem that has been prevailing for years now. Read: Floods, landslides hit Rohingya camps hard: UNHCR Officials of the Water Development Board, however, said that a project for protecting the riverbank from erosion has already been sent to the higher authorities for approval.  "The proposal was sent to the headquarters two years ago, but we are still waiting for an approval. We need a permanent solution to the problem. Temporary steps won’t be effective unless an embankment is constructed,” said sub-divisional engineer Omar Faruk Md Mokhtar Hossain.

Several hundred houses, important establishments and educational institutions have been gobbled up by the Teesta River as its bank erosion has taken a serious turn at Kashimbazar point in Gaibandha and Ulipur’s Bazra union point in Kurigram.