Durjan Khan (85) once owned 20 bighas of arable land. He had a herd of cows and a pond full of fish. He was living happily and peacefully. But due to the erosion of the Teesta River over the years, he is now landless. Today he has nothing to call his own. Now he lives in a shack on the river embankment. Thousands of farmers like him, who have been completely destroyed by the erosion of the Teesta River, are dreaming that the Teesta Master Plan will be implemented.
Durjan Khan’s residence is next to the Teesta Danti dam in Khalishachapani union of Dimla upazila of Nilphamari. He previously lived in Supari Tari of the same union. I spoke to him standing on the Teesta side this Tuesday morning.
Durjan Khan told Prothom Alo, “The distance from our house to the Teesta River was about 7 miles. The erosion started 50 years ago. Since then, we have been moving our house five times as it has been eroding year after year. The last house went into the river 11 years ago. Since then, I have been living in Wapdar Dam. Now I don’t even have my own place to bury it. I heard that the river will be dredged. Then my land will be reclaimed.” He said, “Because of this river, thousands of families like mine are destitute today.”
Mafdi Mamud (80) of the small Teesta Danati dam said, “This river is making us poor. This river has destroyed our houses 10 times. We are the world of Wapdar.” A woman named Alefa Begum (80) said, they have been fighting the river for 50 to 60 years. Everything has ended as houses are destroyed. Now they are living in the dam of the Water Development Board. Now they eat day by day. No one understands their suffering. They are counting the days in the hope of dredging the river.
Abdul Latif Khan, chairman of the Purba Chatnai Union Parishad of Dimla, told Prothom Alo that the people of Teesta have been dreaming of implementing the master plan for a long time. Thousands of people in Purba Chatnai, Paschim Chatnai, Khagakhribari, Jhunagach Chapani, Tepakhakribari, Khalishachapani and Gayabari unions have lost their homes and land on the Teesta. Many are living on the Teesta embankment. If the Teesta master plan is implemented, the land of many farmers will be revived.
The Teesta River Protection Movement is holding a 48-hour sit-in demanding a fair share of Teesta River water and the implementation of the Teesta Master Plan. The program is going on in 11 places in five districts of Rangpur division. The program in Nilphamari is going on at the helipad field across the Teesta. There, we spoke to Magni Masudul Alam, president of the Nilphamari District Farmers’ Party. He said that at least 20,000 farmers of Dimla and Jaldhaka upazilas of Nilphamari have become landless due to this river. If the Teesta Master Plan is implemented, many will get back their lost wealth. Biodiversity will also be protected. Agricultural production will increase along with employment in the area.
Source: Prothom Alo
