‘Char Montola’: A village swallowed whole by Brahmaputra

Char Montola, one of the eight villages of Chilmari union in Kurigram's Chilmari upazila surrounded by the Brahmaputra river, has disappeared within just two years due to river erosion.

Homesteads, croplands, and the houses of 350 families have all been swallowed by the mighty river. Char Montola has vanished from the union's map. Where lush green paddy fields once swayed in the breeze, there is now only water—and the ceaseless sound of waves.

Some erosion-affected families have taken shelter in a newly emerged sandbar, locally known as "Manushmara Char" on Brahmaputra bed, while others have moved to relatives' homes or to different char areas.

Residents said Char Montota used to be a self-reliant farming village, where every family owned land. Now, everything is gone.

Eighty-five-year-old Sahidar Rahman recalled, "About 45 years ago, Char Montola emerged from the Brahmaputra. Around 350 families settled there, each owning between 6 to 10 bighas of land. Everyone became self-sufficient through farming. The erosion started two years ago, and on November 10, the last eight families lost their homes to the river. Now only our memories remain beneath the waves."

Abdus Samad, 60, who lost everything to the erosion, has now built a small house in Manushmara Char. "My father, Ahad Ali, built our home in Char Montola. We once had 12 bighas of land, but now it is all gone. My family of seven has moved to the new char, but there is no work, and the land is not ready for cultivation yet. I have no idea when we will be able to return to a normal life," he said.

Rahima Bewa, another erosion victim, said, "In Char Montola, everyone lived like family. Now we do not even know where others have gone. That char was not just a place—it was our life."

She added, "In the new char, we sometimes get one meal a day; on other days, we stay hungry."

Emdadul Haque, who moved to another char from Char Montola, said, "I often return to see the place where my home once stood. It breaks my heart to see that the char, once green, is now completely submerged."

Sonju Mia, a member of the Chilmari Union Parishad, said, "I lost my homestead and 10 bighas of cropland to the river. Now I live on government khas land at Char Shakhahati. Char Montola was an ideal village—now it's only a memory."

Union Parishad Chairman Aminul Islam said, "Char Montola had about 3,000 bighas of cropland, one government primary school, three madrasas, and two mosques. Everything has been swallowed by the river. The school was relocated elsewhere, but the mosques and madrasas could not be rebuilt."

Prof Shafiqul Islam Bebu, convener of the Kurigram Char Development Committee, said, "Every year, one village after another disappears into the Brahmaputra, and new chars rise. Many villages like Char Montola have vanished, but their memories live on people's heart."

'We demand the formation of a separate ministry for the development of char regions. If such a ministry is established, it could bring an end to the endless suffering of char dwellers," he said.

Rakibul Hasan, executive engineer of Kurigram Water Development Board, said, "There is usually no permanent allocation for protection of charlands located in the middle of the river. In emergencies, we temporarily place sand-filled geo-bags to prevent erosion. The same was done for Char Montola as well, but it could not be saved."