Posted on May 11, 2026
“We do not argue about who will implement the Teesta Master Plan,” said Hazrat Ali, 55. “We just want a permanent solution to the suffering this river causes us.”
His pain was deeply personal. Standing beside the Teesta in the northern Nilphamari district, Ali pointed toward the river that had swallowed his ancestral home. “The river has eaten us and taken away all our land.”
What was once his family’s home and farmland is now part of the river. “Twenty bighas of land are gone,” he said quietly, looking at the flowing water where his fields once stood.
Across the Teesta region, many families carry the same grief.
In Baniyarghat, Shahidul Islam, 55, said people live in fear whenever heavy rain starts.
They worry that water released from India’s Gajoldoba Barrage will trigger sudden floods, he said.
“Floods come five or six times a year,” he said. “We lose our homes, crops, and cattle. When it rains, we become afraid.”
Again and again, families rush to embankments for safety. Many leave behind their belongings. Many lose almost everything.
In villages like Nij Goddimari, people say river erosion has forced them to move repeatedly.
Nurul Islam, Fulchan Miah, Hasan Ali, Dulal Hossain, Abdur Rashid, and Abu Bakar Siddiq shared the same painful story – the river keeps taking everything.
Many once owned large farms. Now they live in torn tin sheds beside embankments or on borrowed land.
“I had 15 bighas of land,” said Md Lalchan. “The river took it all.”
Today, Lalchan struggles to feed his five children.
In Uttar Kharibari village under Tapakharibari union of Dimla upazila, Suraiya Begum, 45, starts her day before sunrise. She walks to her small piece of farmland, hoping the soil will still produce enough food for her family.
The Teesta flows nearby. But the flow of the river that once supported farming throughout the year has become uncertain.
For decades, Suraiya and her husband depended on agriculture. Their earnings helped educate their children. One of their daughters is now a primary school teacher, and another studies at the University of Dhaka.
But farming is becoming harder every year.
“We depend on the river, but the river no longer supports us,” Suraiya said, standing on the dry land where paddy once grew well.
Farmers across the region say the Teesta’s flow has changed sharply. During the dry season, water levels fall so low that irrigation pumps stop working. During the monsoon, sudden upstream releases bring floods and result in erosion.
“Earlier, we could grow two or three crops,” said local farmer Nazrul Islam. “Now even one crop is uncertain.”
Sediment, erosion and upstream control
The Teesta is one of Bangladesh’s major transboundary rivers. It originates in India and flows through the Indian state of West Bengal before entering Bangladesh.
Water experts and local residents say upstream barrages and hydropower projects have reduced the dry-season water flow. At the same time, heavy sedimentation has raised parts of the riverbed.
A recent field visit by the International Farakka Committee found large amounts of silt and sand along the Teesta basin from Dalia in Nilphamari to downstream areas in Gaibandha.
Experts involved in the visit warned that sediment buildup has reduced the river’s ability to hold water naturally. In some areas, the nearby land is now lower than sections of the riverbed itself, increasing flood risks when upstream water suddenly rises.
Officials of the Bangladesh Water Development Board estimate that about 1.22 million cubic metres of sediment have accumulated near the Teesta Barrage in Dalia.
Environmental activists also warned that illegal sand extraction and reduced navigability are worsening erosion across northern districts, including Rangpur, Lalmonirhat, and Kurigram.
Lives under pressure
The crisis is spreading beyond agriculture.
Lower crop production has weakened local markets and reduced work opportunities. Many families now depend on relatives working in cities or garment factories.
Women are carrying much of the burden. Besides working in the fields, many also manage households, livestock, and children’s education. When crops fail, families often cut food expenses or sell belongings to survive.
Experts say Bangladesh also needs better river management inside the country.
Professor Dr Md Sirajul Islam said the reduced dry-season flow from upstream and heavy sedimentation are now working together to deepen the crisis.
“The little water Bangladesh receives during the dry season cannot be used properly because the riverbed has been filled with silt,” he said. “Planned dredging and sediment management are now essential.”
The government says dredging and rehabilitation projects are being planned around the Teesta basin.
But for families living along the river, solutions still feel far away.
As evening falls over Uttar Kharibari, Suraiya gathers her farming tools and walks home across fields that once promised security.
“This is not about politics for us,” she said softly. “It is about whether we can farm, eat, and educate our children.”
Amitabh Choudhuri, executive engineer of the Dalia division of the Bangladesh Water Development Board, said a dredging project for the upstream section of the Teesta Barrage has already been submitted.
He said sediment removal will also be carried out under the proposed Teesta Master Plan and another irrigation rehabilitation project, under which a new dredger is being procured.
He added that Bangladesh has long experience in river dredging and sediment management.
According to him, the government has procured 25 dredgers over the past decade and is continuing regular sediment management activities under a draft river policy prepared in 2025.
