On the trembling edge of the Brahmaputra, where every monsoon redraws the map and despair has become seasonal, the people of Kheruar Char in Kurigram are writing a new story – one of resilience, resourcefulness, and rooted hope.
A river that devours
The Brahmaputra’s beauty has always carried a cruel undertone. Each year, as its waters swell, the river swallows chunks of land, homes, and livelihoods along its banks. In Chilmari upazila, where erosion is relentless, the river has already consumed hundreds of acres of farmland and displaced countless families.
This year alone, more than 100 families in Bajra Diyarkhata, Dakshin Khauria Char, and Feichka areas have watched their croplands and homesteads slip into the current. Trees, schools, and shelters –structures that took years to build – have been washed away in moments.
Yet despite decades of devastation, permanent government protection measures remain limited. Without embankments or erosion-control projects, villagers live with the constant dread that the next flood might erase what little remains.
A grassroots innovation
But in Kheruar Char, despair has turned into determination. Instead of waiting for assistance that may never arrive, locals have launched an unconventional initiative—a “natural embankment” built not with sandbags or concrete, but with nature itself.
Along a two-kilometre stretch of the riverbank, they are planting banana trees, kash phul (kans grass), and kalmi (water spinach) saplings. The idea is to use these species’ extensive root systems to bind the soil, slow down the flow of water, and create a living barrier against erosion.
Every sapling planted carries the sweat of local hands. There are no contractors, no heavy machinery, only villagers pooling resources, labour, and hope.
“Every year we lose our homes and have to start over,” said Dulal Joaddar, one of the villagers leading the initiative. “This time we decided not to wait for anyone. We’re using what we have—trees, soil, and our own strength to fight back.”
Community spirit in action
The effort is more organised than previous attempts, says local union council member Sanwar Hossain. “In the past, small groups tried similar things, but this time the entire community has come together. People from nearby chars are joining in. Even schoolchildren are helping plant saplings.”
Women are also playing a vital role – carrying water for the plants, nurturing seedlings, and encouraging others to join. “We can’t rebuild our homes yet,” said Rina Begum, a mother of three who lost her house to the river last year. “But maybe we can rebuild the land itself.”
Cautious optimism
Experts, however, remain cautious. Md Abdul Quader, Sub-Divisional Engineer of the Water Development Board, acknowledged the spirit of the initiative but doubted its long-term impact. “The Brahmaputra is deep and powerful. The roots of these trees can go only one or two feet deep in several years, which is not enough to counter the river’s force,” he said.
Yet government officials see potential in community-led efforts. Upazila Nirbahi Officer (UNO) Sabuj Kumar Basak praised the move, calling it “a hopeful step towards environmental resilience.” He added, “We are also implementing tree plantation drives and encouraging non-government organisations to support such local innovations.”
Planting hope against the current
As the autumn sun sets over Kheruar Char, villagers continue to plant rows of saplings along the riverbank. To outsiders, the small green shoots may seem fragile against the vastness of the Brahmaputra. But for those who have lost everything, these plants are symbols of defiance, tiny acts of faith against a force of nature.
No one knows if the “natural embankment” will stand the test of the next monsoon. But for the people of Kheruar Char, it already represents something bigger—a reminder that innovation does not always come from technology or funding, but from necessity, unity, and the will to survive.
As the Brahmaputra flows on, so do its people—rooted in hope, bound by resilience, and determined to keep their land from being swallowed whole.