Mohammad Arifur Rahman

River Bank Erosion: Socio-economic Impact of River Bank Erosion Mohammad Arifur Rahman

The Padma River is highly dynamic and meander in nature. 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 work tries to understand the bank erosion of Mawa- Dighirper reach and its present and future socioeconomic impact. 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 study reach. The income level of about 70 percent respondents has become less due to change in their working environment. 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. The affected people have a tendency and attitude to remain close to their homestead, relatives and surroundings. In the time span between 1989 to 2005, the concerned area of the study reach decreased by about 40 km2, Seven hundred and fifty crore taka at land value have been lost due to erosion.