The Faridpur town is under threat of erosion by the River Padma as the authorities concerned could not complete construction of the river protection dam before the current monsoon. The river is advancing fast, and it is now only 250 metres away from the district town, creating panic among the residences in the town and adjacent areas. In the last few days, several points of the newly built five-kilometre embankment in Vajondanga area under Alibad union of sadar upazila has been eroded by the river, sources at the Water Development Board, Faridpur said. The 14 kilometre area under Decreerchar and Aliabad union of sadar upazila and Gazirtek union of Charvadrashan upazila are at high risk of erosion due to non-completion of the total work, they said. The WDB has completed the construction work of five kilometre embankment in the last one year, leaving unprotected nine kilometre area of the southern bank of the river from C&B Ghat to Dholar Mor and Sadipur bazar to Hajiganj. Although the WDB has put geo-bags and CC blocks at the eroded sides, the total area under Decreerchar and Aliabad union of sadar upazila and Gazirtek union of Charvadrashan upazila remain vulnerable to erosion. Five years back, the WDB constructed simillar embankment along the river bank by it was totally damaged in 2003. By this time, the Padma has come closer to south-eastern areas of Decrerchar and Aliabad union under district sadar and Gazirtek union under Charvadrashan upazila. About 14 kilometre areas are under threat of erosion as the river is only quarter to 1.5 kilometre away. The WDB has completed construction of about 3.5 kilometres embankment from Dholar Mor point to Shadipur Bazar area by putting sand bags of geo-textile and CC blocks, WDB sources said. It also built 1.5 kilometre embankment at Hajiganj bazar and its adjacent areas under Charvadrashan upazila but work on three kilometres from C&B Ghat to Dholar Mor and six kilometre from Shadipur and Hajigonj area is yet to start. Kazi Nazrul Islam of Dholarmor area in sadar upazila said the WDB first protect the three kilometres area from eastern side of C&B Ghat to western side of Dholarmor area, where Padma is only about quarter kilometre away from the northern side of Faridpur municipality area. A good many educational and other institutions in the municipality town are facing threat of river erosion. The institutions under threat include Government Rajenda College, Faridpur Govt Polytechnic Institute, Teacher's Training College, Govt Commercial College, Social Handicraft Rehabilitation Center, Govt. Boy's Child Home, TB Hospital and under-construction National Polytechnic Institute and under-construction Faridpur Engineering College, situated at Aliabad union. The executive engineer of BWDB Faridpur office, Mokhlesur Rahaman, said they had completed construction of about five kilometre river protection embankment from C&B Ghat area to Hajigonj at a cost of Tk 118 crore.