River erosion has taken a serious turn in different border villages of three upazilas in Netrakona with at least 300 dwelling houses and 600 acres of crop land devoured in the last three days. The people living near the Sumeshowary and Kongsa rivers here are passing days with fear as the two rivers are fast eroding houses and crop land, local sources said. The erosion-hit villages are Shibgonj, Dakumara, Kamarkhali and Birishiri under Durgapur upazila, Fakirar Bazar and Dashdar under Barhatta upazila and village Borail under Netrakona sadar upazila. Sudden swelling of the rivers due to last few days' torrential rain and onrush of hilly waters from neighboring India have worsened the situation, the locals said. The Sumeshowary and Kongsa have devoured at least 300 dwelling houses and about 600 acres of crop land in the last three days, rendering over 1,000 people homeless. Most of the erosion victims have taken shelter in the neighboring villages, local sources said. During a visit to the erosion-affected areas, our correspondent found a good many people preparing to move to safe places along with their belongings. Local people had tried to protect their areas from erosion by dumping sands, piling of bamboo and timbers along the river banks, but their efforts went in vein due to strong current of the rivers. Every year, a vast track of cultivable land and a large number of dwelling houses go under river water due to erosion, leaving hundreds of people homeless. Kamarkhali Bazar, once a big market place in Durgapur upazila, has been reduced to nearly half in the last three years due to erosion. More than 400 families used to live at village Ranikong in Durgapur upazila four years ago. But now the number of families come down to a half in the village. Local people told New Age that they had urged the authorities concerned several times to construct embankments to protect them from erosion but no steps have not yet been taken. When contacted, the executive engineer of the Bangladesh Water Development Board, Netrakona, Mohammad Didarul Alam said they had submitted a project proposal for building erosion protection embankment along the banks of two rivers.