River Bank Erosion and Sustainable Protection Strategies

The onset of the monsoon season is a day of uncertainty for the people along the river. Mountain slopes coming from upstream and heavy monsoon rains - these two are a terrible name for the people on the bank of the river. Sudden floods will hit, rivers will flood. The bank of the river collapsed without being able to stand in the face of the strong current. At the same time, the installations on the banks of the river disappear into the river.

Geographically, Bangladesh is a disaster-prone region. Natural disasters like storms, floods, droughts, cyclones are common here. Studies have shown that about 5 percent of the floodplain land in Bangladesh is affected by this trend. Riverine soils are usually eroded and damaged. There are over 700 rivers in the country and their combined length is more than 24,000 km. Erosion is most common during the rainy season and usually a result of floods. When there are strong currents in the river, these waves destroy both banks.

Every year from the beginning of the monsoon to the end of the river decay continues. Although temporary protection dams are sometimes built there, they are not permanent and durable. As a result, the river broke again. Human settlements, educational institutions, government establishments, religious establishments, medical centers - everything is going to the river. The victims are millions of families. This breakdown continues month after month.

In addition, there are several other causes of river erosion, such as excess rainfall, deforestation, strong currents, etc. Fractures are also usually caused by geological size. This is because the erosion depends on the composition of the riverbank, the intensity of the riparian flow, the river plan and the supply of water and sediment in the river. When the river is full-grown their strong currents cause extensive erosion on both banks.

It is seen from various reports that from 1911 to 2015, a total area of one thousand 749 square kilometers fell into the Padma. Notable areas are the Padma and Brahmaputra floodplains. Due to the strong currents of the Padma, it said to be the most prone area in the world to break. According to the Bangladesh Water Development Board, the worst affected areas are Bogra, Kurigram, Lalmonirhat, Gaibandha, Rangpur, Chandpur, Shariatpur, Mawa, Sirajganj, Faridpur, Tangail, Jamalpur and Mymensingh. However, the bordering hilly rivers also look terrible during the monsoons.

According to a survey conducted by an organization on slums in Dhaka, most of the uprooted families come from Faridpur, Barisal, Comilla and neighbouring areas of Dhaka. A closer look reveals that most of these slum dwellers have come from a limited area consisting of the Ganges, Padma, Meghna rivers and their combined estuaries.

Families who are homeless in river erosion and have built temporary shelters on various dams are among the most deprived groups. Without seeing the people affected by the demolition, one cannot understand the reality.

In recent years, the amount of financial loss caused by river erosion and the number of people at risk has increased dramatically. As a result of river erosion, the lands, houses, crops, livestock, plants and household items of the affected people are being lost in the riverbed. According to various media reports, about 1 million people in Bangladesh are directly affected by river erosion every year.

Research reports on river protection have blamed the erosion on a large amount of silt that comes with floods, as well as strong currents, and river governance problems. The way we want to prevent river erosion at present is not a modern and standard method. As a result, these river protection dams do not last or are washed away by light rains. The main reason for this is not following modern methods in infrastructural development on both sides of the river.

It can be said that there is a lack of actual planning in river protection projects. Most of the work is done to prevent river erosion, especially at the beginning of the rainy season, as a result of which the dam breaks in its raw state. When it breaks in the middle of the rainy season, they try to make temporary repairs with sandbags - but in heavy rains or floods, they get sand. As a result, the dam breaks, and the consequences are even direr.

In any area of river erosion, from children to the elderly can be seen - everyone is hopeful that they will be freed from the erosion. When they can be safe. The problem of river erosion may not be solved very quickly but if proper action is taken, the grief of the people along the river would be alleviated. First, the families near the river have to be relocated and accommodated.

There is no substitute for regular dredging activities on the river. The most important thing is to build a permanent infrastructure (a block of cement, a kind of rock with concrete material) on the banks of the river. At the same time, care must be taken to ensure that the navigability of the river is maintained. In this case, there is no alternative to planting different species of trees to prevent the erosion of the river bank.

In this case, the Water Development Board and the concerned authorities have to come forward with a long-term plan. At the same time, modern technology has to be added. If we do not control the rate at which people are being harmed by river erosion every year - the proportion of damage will continue to increase proportionately. Not only the people also the region affected by the demolition, but the entire country has to bear the burden.


The writer is an Associate Editor in The Environment Review.