Erosion of left bank of the Padma river at Mawa-Dighirper reach and its socio-economo impact

Abstract

The Padma River is highly dynamic and meander in naturc. Bank erosion severely affects the socioeconomic condition of the affected reach and not only causes suffering to the people living along its course but also national losses due to loss of cultivated land, settlements, commercial centers and infrastructures. The present research tries to understand the bank erosion of Mawa- Dighirper reach and its present and future socioeconomic impact. In the present study, a large number of good quality digital data have been prepared from satellite imageries and these data are used to evaluate the channel shifting in the ,tudy reach. The income level of about 70 percent respondents has become less due tn change in their working environment. After displacement 28% became day labor, about 16% of the affected are adopted tampo and bus driving, 16% started to work in the gannents and cold storage factories. A total of 78 percent of the households reported having been displaced by erosion at least once; out of them, 80 percent household reported multiple displacements. Eighty eight percent affected household migmtcd and resettled at the adjacent villages and unions. The affected people have a tendency and attitude to remain close to their homestead, relatives and surroundings. Most of the School going children gave up their studies forever due to school shift. About 66 percent of the respondent reported that the educational facilities were deteriorated. The sinuosity of the recent active bend is 1.02. A Hickin and Nanson type empirical model for the estimation of bank erosion rate was tested in the present study reach. It was observed that the co-efficient of erosion and exponent values for positive trend are 229 and 0.71, respectively and the co-efficient of erosion and exponent values for negative trend are 1280 and 1.77, respectively. '" • The satellite imageries of 1989 to 2006 indicate that, the left bank of the Padma River at Mawa. Dighirper reach is severely affected by erosion. Lohajang, Teotia, Dighirper and Hasail-Banari union are almost disappearing and Ohaida union become extinct due to hank erosion of the study reach. ln the lime span of the last 17 years the concerned area of thc study reach decreased by about 40 km1,Seven hundred and fifty crorc taka at land value have been lost due to erosion.