Residents in two municipal wards of Cooch Behar town have been spending sleepless nights for the past couple of days because the Torsha river that skirts the district headquarters has started eroding land from these two wards.
In the past 24 hours, at least 55 houses have been damaged in erosion in wards 16 and 18. The dwellers have moved to safer places with their belongings as the river is continuously gobbling up chunks of land.
“A few days back, the water level of the Torsha river increased with consistent rainfall. Since Sunday, the water level receded but simultaneously, erosion started in wards 16 and 18. The river damaged my house and I became homeless overnight. We could save some of our belongings. The way the river is eroding land, it seems a considerable portion of these wards will vanish from the town’s map,” said Harish Roy, one of the affected residents. He said erosion was the worst in Phansir Ghat of ward 16, where he stayed. From Phansir Ghat, some take boat rides to the district headquarters, he said.
The Torsha damages buildings in ward 16 of Cooch Behar town on Tuesday. Main Uddin Chisti
Rapid erosion has also damaged a portion of the embankment that guards the town from the river.
“Because of the Covid-19 pandemic, most of us have lost our earnings considerably and somehow run our families with difficulty. Now we have lost our homes too and don’t know where to go with our families. The district administration should help us so that we can set up at least a hutment at a safer place,” said Minati Roy, another affected resident from ward 16.
In Cooch Behar town, hundreds of families live along the banks of the Torsha and face floods during monsoon. This time, erosion is a fresh poser.
Officials of the district administration said they were keeping watch. “We are extending all possible help to the affected families. Our officers are vigilant to ensure there is no mishap because of erosion,” said Sheikh Rakibur Rahaman, Cooch Behar SDO.
The other major town by the Torsha is Phuntsholing in Bhutan.
