Climate change–induced floods and river erosion devastate Jamalpur communities

Most areas of Jamalpur district lie along the Brahmaputra and Jamuna rivers. Every year, thousands of people lose their homes and livelihoods to river erosion and flooding, becoming displaced. Recurring natural disasters and the lack of employment forces many residents to migrate elsewhere.

These communities have neither access to adequate healthcare nor education. Many students drop out prematurely after their homes and school buildings are swallowed by rivers. Due to the absence of proper government planning, development has barely touched Jamalpur. For generations, people in this region have been fighting a continuous battle against natural disasters.

According to the Jamalpur District Relief and Rehabilitation Office, five of the district’s seven upazilas—Islampur, Dewanganj, Madarganj, Bakshiganj, and Sarishabari—experience flooding and river erosion every year. Floods in areas surrounded by the Jamuna and Brahmaputra rivers leave hundreds of thousands of people stranded in water for weeks. After the floodwaters recede, severe riverbank erosion begins.

The Brahmaputra, Old Brahmaputra, Jamuna, Jhinai, Dashani, Jinjiram, Alai, and Mora Jinjiram rivers flow through Jamalpur district. Among them, the Jamuna and Brahmaputra cause annual flooding and erosion. The rivers have also created numerous riverine islands (chars) across the district.

Chars that have emerged in the Jamalpur section of the Jamuna include Jigatola, Sindhurtoli, Shildaha, Monnia, Barul, Char Barul, Chengania, Kasaridoba, Char Shishua, Indulemari, Kodaldhoa, Mondolpara, Projapoti, Bishorshi, Sapdhori, and Birnandaner Para in Islampur upazila; Tiner Char in Dewanganj upazila; Pakrul, Atamari, and Hidagari in Madarganj upazila; and Nalsandhya in Sarishabari upazila. Several chars also exist along the banks of the Brahmaputra.

Alongside erosion, these chars suffer from drought during the dry season. Residents have long been deprived of basic civic services. Transportation systems are fragile, and healthcare is extremely scarce. Although people frequently suffer from various illnesses, access to adequate medical treatment is minimal.

Each year, flood situations arise in Jamalpur due to water rushing down from upstream hills combined with continuous rainfall. These floods damage vast settlements, roads, educational institutions, homes, businesses, and crops. During floods, hundreds of thousands of people remain stranded for weeks.

In 2020, Jamalpur experienced one of the worst floods in its history. About 75 per cent of the district was submerged, and road and rail communication was disrupted in several areas. Millions of people took shelter under the open sky and lived in extreme hardship. Prolonged flooding caused severe shortages of food and clean drinking water for both people and livestock.

According to the District Relief and Rehabilitation Office, the 2020 flood inundated 46 unions across the district’s seven upazilas and affected four pourashavas. A total of 598,217 people from 490 villages were stranded.

The flood damaged 50 educational institutions and 25 religious establishments. Crops on 15,492 hectares of land were destroyed, causing financial losses of nearly Tk 1.4 billion. Homes and roads were also heavily damaged. Overall losses were estimated at about Tk 3 billion.

Many once-populated areas have now turned into barren Chars due to erosion. Even during the dry season, residents of these Jamuna chars are not spared. When waterways—the only means of communication—dry up, travel becomes extremely difficult.

The increasing severity of floods and erosion in five upazilas of Jamalpur is pushing thousands of people into destitution each year.

Rahima Begum, 62, from Char Dakatia village in Dewanganj upazila, once belonged to a well-off family but has now been left destitute by erosion.
“Once we had everything—homes, land, cattle. The river swallowed it all. My homestead has been destroyed 30 times in my whole life. I thought I would die on this land, but that didn’t happen. I have once again become homeless in this old age.”

Recently, the Jamuna River washed away the remaining land and homestead of Rahima Begum, a mother of seven. She now lives with her children. On a recent visit, it was seen that one of her son’s houses had already been swallowed by the river, and the homesteads of the remaining six children were also under threat.

Nearby, one daughter-in-law was cooking lunch under the open sky while other family members hurriedly moved their belongings as erosion noises echoed from the riverbank.

A similar situation prevails for residents along the riverbanks of five upazilas.

In Pakrul’s Tegharia area of Madarganj, residents were seen relocating houses away from the riverbank. Seventy-year-old Keyaful, speaking tearfully, said, “Where you see the river’s edge now—that’s where my house used to be. My children don’t look after me, and now the river has taken my home too. I don’t know where I’ll go or how I’ll survive at this age.”

Over the past few decades, farmland and homesteads from about fifty villages across fifteen unions along the rivers in Islampur, Madarganj, Dewanganj, and Sarishabari have disappeared. Nearly 20,000 families have been left destitute. Old markets, roads, mosques, madrassas, health centres, and educational institutions have been swallowed by the rivers. About fifty educational institutions have been affected. Recently, the Jamuna River washed away the concrete building of Char Dakatia Government Primary School in Dewanganj.

Residents say that although erosion has continued for years, it intensified dramatically from 28 March last year. Since then, dozens of houses and large areas of land around the school have disappeared into the river. It was the only school in Dakatia Para.

Locals say erosion continues along a five-kilometre stretch from Kholabari through Char Dakatia to Borokhal in Dewanganj. Thousands of homesteads and hundreds of acres of farmland in villages such as Kholabari, Hazar, Magurihat, Char Magurihat, Khanpara, Majhipara, Dakatia cluster village, Char Dakatia, and Char Dakatia Para have been lost to the river. The Bangladesh Water Development Board occasionally drops geobags in severely eroding spots, but no permanent erosion-control measures have been implemented.

Shoaib Hossain, a student of Char Dakatiapara area, said his home was one kilometer away from river even several years ago. His homestead was swallowed by the river last 29 March.

Ritu Bharadwaj, principal researcher and head of the climate change research team at the UK-based International Institute for Environment and Development (IIED), said riverbank erosion is closely linked to climate change. Weather has become increasingly unpredictable—sudden heavy rainfall, strong river currents, powerful tidal surges, and long dry spells weaken soil. These factors put extra pressure on riverbanks. When major floods or surges occur, banks collapse easily. Families rebuild their homes and restart life, only to lose everything again. What once happened gradually over decades is now happening within just a few seasons.

Ainun Nishat, emeritus professor at BRAC University and a climate expert, said that riverbank erosion is linked to climate change. Climate change alters weather patterns and causes variations in rainfall. For example, there was heavy rainfall in the Darjeeling area last year. Before that water reached Bangladesh, river levels here had already fallen. But suddenly the water level rose, creating flood-like conditions.

As a result, vast areas in Lalmonirhat, Kurigram, and Gaibandha were inundated, leading to river erosion. This happens because when water suddenly increases, a river cannot widen overnight; instead, it becomes somewhat deeper. Consequently, erosion occurs along both riverbanks.

He added that water levels in hilly rivers can rise by 10–15 feet in a single day and drop again within two days. In the Brahmaputra at Jamalpur, water levels can rise 2–4 feet in a day. Because riverbanks are already weak, sudden surges often trigger erosion, especially after floods.

To prevent erosion, Nishat said riverbanks must be reinforced along both sides—similar to the Mississippi River in the United States. However, such large-scale protection requires state intervention.

Anar Uddin from Tegharia Bazaar in Madarganj once worried about supporting his son Abdul Alim, a law postgraduate student at Rajshahi University. Falling crop yields had reduced his income while university expenses continued. When contacted again 20 days later, Alim said their house had already been swallowed by the river and they had relocated, starting life anew.

Akmal Hossain left Jamalpur nearly a decade ago. He now farms land and sells kitchenware in Gangachara upazila of Rangpur. He said he moved for the sake of his children’s education but still feels emotional about his birthplace.

River erosion continues across five upazilas of Jamalpur, leaving farmers, fishermen, and professionals destitute as they lose their ancestral homes and traditional livelihoods. Many displaced families have migrated to slums in Dhaka, while others live on borrowed land.

Amena and Alamgir, now living in Ashulia near Dhaka, moved there five years ago after losing their home to the river. Alamgir now drives a battery-powered rickshaw after losing his garment factory job, while Amena cooks in a workers’ mess. Alamgir said, “Our home is gone. We had no land left to stay on, so we came to Dhaka. We work and survive. Our child studies in Class Two.”

Riverbank erosion continues to varying degrees in five upazilas of Jamalpur. Farmers, fishermen and other professionals are becoming destitute after losing their traditional occupations and ancestral homesteads. Losing even their sense of identity, they are being defined as displaced people. According to locals, it is not possible to specify how many thousands of people have been displaced in the district over several decades.

According to local residents, erosion along the banks of the Jamuna and Brahmaputra rivers in this district began in 1969. Since then, erosion has occurred every year at various riverside locations in the five upazilas during both the dry and monsoon seasons. About 18 kilometres of the Jamuna—from Kholabari in Dewanganj to Pingna in Sarishabari upazila—are erosion-prone.

Similarly, erosion occurs at various places along the Brahmaputra in Islampur, Dewanganj and Bakshiganj upazilas. Each year, several thousand people become homeless due to erosion by these two rivers. Over the past several decades, thousands have been displaced by river erosion. Many of them have moved to different slums in Dhaka, while those who remain have built houses on other people’s land.

Recently, Amena and Alamgir, a couple living in Ashulia in Dhaka, spoke about their experience. They came here five years ago and started living in a slum. Alamgir worked in a garment factory for some time but, after losing his job, now drives a battery-powered rickshaw.

Amena, meanwhile, cooks in a mess for garment workers. Alamgir said, “There is no house left in our area—it has gone into the river. We don’t even have land to live on. Then we came to Dhaka. We work and eat. Our child studies in Class Two. There is no benefit in going back to the area either. Jobs are not available there.”

Many once-crowded areas have turned into vast chars due to flooding and erosion. During the dry season, residents travel on foot or by horse carts; during the rainy season, they rely on boats. Transportation problems are especially severe in the dry months.

Although a few health centres exist on the chars, physicians rarely stay due to poor transportation. Patients also struggle to reach facilities. Emergency medical care is extremely difficult to obtain, especially for the elderly, children, and pregnant women.

Md Ibrahim, a resident of Monnia Char in Islampur upazila, said no healthcare officials or family planning officials visit these chars. Pregnant women don’t get enough healthcare facilities while birth rate is also high. Many residents don’t even have any idea on family planning. Many families have four or five children. Regular vaccinations for newborns are also lacking. They rely on Imams of local mosque for education and healthcare.
Reaching the nearest upazila health complexes is a big challenge.

Last year, flooding forced the closure of 364 educational institutions in Jamalpur. Many students’ homes were also submerged. Many families left the area, and those children never returned to school.

Local residents say that people in the char areas have to struggle to survive amid various natural disasters, including river erosion and floods caused by the Jamuna and Brahmaputra. On the other hand, during the dry season, falling groundwater levels bring drought conditions. As a result, thousands of children in these char areas are deprived of the light of education. Children growing up in these areas do not know what their future holds.

The chars of Jigatola, Sindhurtoli, Shildah, Monnia, Barul, Char Barul, Chengania, Kasaridoba, Char Shishua, Indulemari, Kodaldhoa, Mondolpara, Projapoti, Bishorshi, Sapdhori and Birnandaner Para in Islampur upazila; Tiner Char in Dewanganj upazila; Pakrul, Atamari and Hidagari chars in Madarganj upazila; and Nalsandhya Char in Sarishabari upazila have become remote and difficult to access.

According to the Bureau of Statistics, there are about 25,000 to 30,000 children in these char areas, most of whom do not have the opportunity to attend school. Instead of school, many children are sent to work. According to the district education department, there are 23 government primary schools, five madrasahs, two secondary schools and one dakhil madrasa in the Jamuna char areas.

Local residents said that educational institutions, including primary schools, exist largely in name only. Most teachers live in the district town and rarely come to school. Classes are conducted by proxy teachers and office assistants. With small payments to less educated unemployed young men and women from the area, these schools are somehow kept running. Most schools have relatively few students. Even those who attend spend the day playing before returning home.

Field observations show that several barriers lie behind the fragile state of primary education in the char areas. Because these chars lie along riverbanks, they are known as extremely remote locations. River erosion has destroyed many schools, some of which have been swallowed by the river, forcing reconstruction or relocation. Moreover, there are no roads in the char areas—miles of sandbars stretch across the landscape. Most families in the area are also poor and therefore more interested in sending their children to work in fields and farms than to school.

Field visits show that the Rural Development Academy (RDA) built in 2022 in Melandah upazila of Jamalpur has remained empty since its construction. More than Tk 1.31 billion was spent on its construction. The goal was to train extremely poor people in the greater Mymensingh region and turn them into a skilled workforce. Yet people in the area have received no benefit from it.

Criticising this waste in the name of development, a local college teacher said, “Instead of development, crores of taka have been wasted. An investigation should be conducted to determine whose pockets this money went into, and action should be taken. Alongside visible development, we also want development that directly benefits people. Implementing a comprehensive development master plan centred on Jamalpur has become urgent.”

River researcher Tuhin Wadud said neglected districts are not included in the government’s master plan. Jamalpur would certainly deserve a place in the list of neglected district.

He said that large-scale employment opportunities, training to develop skilled manpower, improvements in education, and sustainable development for people affected by river erosion are needed here.