Thousands of farmers in Kathalia upazila under the district cannot cultivate their lands as tidal water from Bishkhali River regularly floods the area in absence of an effective embankment there.

The area also sees river erosion.

Forty kilometres of the Bishkhali River surround Kathalia upazila from Amua to Kathalia but the work under a government initiative to build an embankment there stopped after completion of ten kilometres of the protection scheme from Amua to Soujolia, said officials of Water Development Board and local administration.

The people living near the riverbank are dependent on agriculture but they cannot grow crops due to recurrent inundation of their farmlands.

If the embankment is completed, 5,000 hectares of land in the area can be used for agriculture, said Abdullah Al Mamun, upazila agriculture officer of Kathalia. 

"Before every poll, candidates make commitment to solve the problem but forget it after they are elected," said Joynal, a farmer of Amua.

Twenty villages adjacent to the river including Aura, Joykhali, Amua Hetalbunia, Marichbunia, Chingrakhali, Baro Kathalia, Kochua, Centre Hat, Soujolia, and Raguar Char are affected due to the situation, locals said.

"We cannot grow any crop even in winter due to flooding by tidal water. River erosion is a regular affair in the area," said Hossen Ali, a farmer who lost all his farmland to the riverbed. 

"Under a project for building the embankment from Amua to Kathalia, work in ten kilometres has been completed. I have written to the higher authority for fund to construct the embankment in the remaining area, under Comprehensive Disaster Management Programme," said Abul Basher Muhammad Amiruddin, upazila nirbahi officer of Kathalia.