Severe erosion of the Jamuna River has destroyed homes, farmland, and infrastructure in Mannia Char of Islampur upazila, Jamalpur district. Over the past few weeks, hundreds of families have lost their land and property as the river continues to engulf the area. Local residents report that no effective measures have been taken to prevent the erosion or to rehabilitate displaced families, leaving many homeless and fearful.

Mannia Char, a 70-year-old river island with around 30,000 residents, has long been a fertile agricultural zone producing rice, wheat, and maize. The erosion now threatens schools, a mosque, a market, a rural electricity office, and an eight-crore-taka solar power project. Locals have been trying to resist the river’s advance by placing bamboo and sandbags along the banks, but the destruction continues.

Officials from the Water Development Board and the district administration acknowledged the crisis, saying the issue is under consideration and that necessary measures will be taken to protect the area.