The Sharda river's rampage in Uttar Pradesh's Lakhimpur Kheri district shows no sign of easing, with entire fields and houses vanishing into its current within hours. Relentless rain in the hills keeps pushing the river's water level up and down, and every time the water recedes, the erosion along the banks turns even more aggressive, leaving families in the Terai region staring at an uncertain future.
Heavy Hill Rain Is Fueling the Erosion
Continuous rainfall in the hills is directly driving the crisis in the plains below. As the rain swells the rivers, the resulting rise and fall in water levels accelerates the erosion of the Sharda's banks. The moment the water level drops, the loosened soil along the edge gives way, and large stretches of farmland disappear into the river within a matter of hours. Several houses have also been filmed collapsing into the current. Despite the scale of the damage, the district administration has not been seen taking any concrete steps to control the erosion, deepening residents' frustration by the day.
Hundreds of Homes Already Lost in Grant Number 12 Village
The village of Grant Number 12, in the Nighasan tehsil area, captures the scale of the disaster most starkly. The village has a total population of around 2200, but roughly 200 houses here were swallowed by the river during last year's floods. Now the Sharda has begun wreaking havoc all over again. The erosion is steadily creeping closer to the village, with more houses falling into the current, even as the officials responsible have shown no sign of taking action.
Her House Could Be Swept Away Any Day
Rajeshwari, a woman from the village, said the Sharda's erosion has continued without a break since last year, and this year it has struck intermittently over the past 15 days. She said one house has already been swallowed by the river, and thousands of acres of farmers' land have also been cut away by the Sharda's current, adding to residents' hardship.
"My house has come right up to the river's edge, it could be swallowed by the river any day," Rajeshwari said. She added that her home's very existence could be wiped out within days, yet the administration has paid no attention to the problem so far. Families whose houses were swallowed by the river last year are still living in makeshift huts on the embankment, struggling to get by.
Will the Anger Spill Into the 2027 Assembly Polls?
Uttar Pradesh is due to hold assembly elections in 2027, and the mounting frustration in the village could carry into the vote. Rajeshwari said the local MLA has paid no attention to the erosion crisis, so this time villagers will not pay attention either when casting their ballots. She said residents will place their trust in whoever actually comes forward to help them. With the erosion continuing unabated, resentment among villagers is clearly visible, and the hardship is only expected to grow in the coming days.
