Months of persistent action: Kamarkhali’s fight to save their village from riverbank erosion

This case study documents the community-led efforts of Kamarkhali village in north-central Bangladesh to combat accelerating riverbank erosion along the Someshwari River. Through the formation of a resistance committee, non-violent protests, and multiple attempts to build embankments, the community eventually secured government assistance to construct a sandbag embankment completed in April 2021.

• The village of Kamarkhali has experienced significant land loss due to riverbank erosion, which the community attributes to high rainfall in the Meghalaya region and sand mining in the Someshwari River. Estimated land losses include 15 feet during the 2014 floods, 55 feet between 2014 and 2022, and 20 feet during the 2020 floods, resulting in the loss of homes, shops, and cultural sites like a Hindu temple and a 150-year-old Banyan tree.
• In response to the 2020 floods, residents formed the Kamarkhali Shameshwari Nodi Vangan Protirodh Committee (Kamarkhali Someshwari Riverbank Erosion Resistance Committee) to mobilize the community. Their efforts included constructing a bamboo embankment and a subsequent sandbag embankment, both of which were washed away, as well as organizing a human chain of 500 people to demand government action.
• Following persistent community advocacy and media attention, the Bangladesh Water Development Board of the Netrokona District constructed a sandbag embankment between February and April 2021. While this protected the village during record-breaking rainfall in June 2022, community members argue that sandbags are not a long-term solution and advocate for a concrete or stone embankment.
• Beyond riverbank erosion, the community faces broader climate-related disruptions affecting agriculture, as well as environmental issues caused by government-scaled sand mining in the Someshwari River, which is believed to accelerate erosion and cause sound and air pollution.

APA

van Schie, D., Malek, M. M., Ranon, R. J. K., & Mirza, A. B. (2023). Months of persistent action: Kamarkhali’s fight to save their village from riverbank erosion. Global Resilience Partnership. https://www.globalresiliencepartnership.org/months-of-persistent-action-kamarkhalis-fight-to-save-their-village-from-riverbank-erosion/

Chicago

van Schie, Douwe, Maliha Masfiqua Malek, Rawnak Jahan Khan Ranon, and Afsara Binte Mirza. Months of persistent action: Kamarkhali’s fight to save their village from riverbank erosion. Global Resilience Partnership, 2023. https://www.globalresiliencepartnership.org/months-of-persistent-action-kamarkhalis-fight-to-save-their-village-from-riverbank-erosion/.

Wikipedia

{{cite report |last1=van Schie |first1=Douwe |last2=Malek |first2=Maliha Masfiqua |last3=Ranon |first3=Rawnak Jahan Khan |last4=Mirza |first4=Afsara Binte |title=Months of persistent action: Kamarkhali’s fight to save their village from riverbank erosion |publisher=Global Resilience Partnership |date=16 January 2023 |url=https://www.globalresiliencepartnership.org/months-of-persistent-action-kamarkhalis-fight-to-save-their-village-from-riverbank-erosion/ |access-date=17 August 2026 |via=Climate Insights Directory}}

BibTeX

@techreport{vanschie2023months, author = {van Schie, Douwe and Malek, Maliha Masfiqua and Ranon, Rawnak Jahan Khan and Mirza, Afsara Binte}, title = {{Months of persistent action: Kamarkhali’s fight to save their village from riverbank erosion}}, institution = {Global Resilience Partnership}, year = {2023}, month = jan, url = {https://www.globalresiliencepartnership.org/months-of-persistent-action-kamarkhalis-fight-to-save-their-village-from-riverbank-erosion/}, urldate = {2026-08-17}, note = {Indexed by Climate Insights Directory} }