The great Indian earthquake: Barahi to Padma, Brahmaputra to Jamuna

The largest sewer in the metropolis, which runs through the middle of Rajshahi city to the Padma River, was once called 'Barahi'. This Barahi is now the largest sewer in the town. As per British geographer James Rennell's map, a river came from the north and merged with the Padma at the east of Barakuthi in Rampur-Boalia. In the 19th century, this river came to be known as Barahi. Until independence, this river was known as Maranodi from Rajshahi city to Baya and as Narahi in Nowhata. According to Bock's design, this Barahi once passed through the Mandar Beel (wetland) of Atray and passed through the Ter-Khadiya Beel to the north of Rampur-Boalia, first into the Mahananda and then into the Padma. At that time, it was quite fast-flowing and wide. And today's vast Padma was not so wide in this area at that time. So, how did the Padma take on a huge shape and how did the Barahi become a drain? The answer is: an earthquake.

According to the first volume of Rajshahir Itihas (History of Rajshahi) by Kazi Mohammad Misher, the 8.7 magnitude catastrophic earthquake struck the Shillong plateau of Assam in 1897 (1304 Bangabda). This earthquake, known as 'The Great Indian Earthquake', killed more than 1500 people.

This tremor was felt throughout Bengal, starting from the southern Lusai Mountains in the east and reaching Shahabad in the west. And after this tremor or as a result of it, many parts of the prosperous areas of Rajshahi, including Nabinagar, Kathalbaria, Basri, and Habaspur, were submerged in the Padma. As a result, the river Padma swelled and expanded further to the north while Barahi lost its navigability. However, a few years before this, in 1885, a permanent embankment was built along the banks of the Padma River in the name of flood control. Then, 12 sluice gates were installed from the Bulanpur to the Talaimari area of the city. Sluice gates were also installed at the source of the three main rivers flowing through the city. Since then, the source of the rivers has gradually dried. After that, when the earthquake occurred, Barahi died due to the impact of it. Currently, the first five kilometers of Barahi from the source do not exist, and the remaining 15 kilometers have become a drain.

The earthquake of 1897 not only changed the way and nature of Padma and Barahi, but also changed the path of the Brahmaputra. As the Mymensingh and Sherpur regions became 50 feet higher due to the impact of the earthquake, the flow of the Brahmaputra further turned towards the Jamuna, the relatively sloping area. A tsunami also appeared in the Brahmaputra sweeping away the town of Goalpara. The damage caused to the entire Bangladesh was unimaginable.

That day was June 12, 1897, 10 Muharram, Hijri 1315, i.e. the holy Ashura. Tazia processions were being carried out all around, and a group of participants in one such procession took refuge in the famous Bagha Mosque in Rajshahi out of panic. When part of the roof collapsed on them, two people died and many others were injured.

According to the first volume of the History of Rajshahi, most of the brick-built houses of the royal landlords of the then Rajshahi district were destroyed and shattered due to the tremour. Many structures and buildings in Natore and Rajshahi cities were reduced to rubble, and even the neelkuthi (indigo factory) and silk factories were damaged. The palaces of Dighapatiya, Borokuthi, and the horse stables of the British lords in Puthia and Natore completely collapsed and many casualties occurred due to the collapse of the walls. However, the official account says that 9 people died and 65 were injured because of the earthquake.

This earthquake damaged many important government and private buildings and museums in Rajshahi city, as a result of which many rare documents were destroyed. Local government buildings - Judge's Court, Collectorate, Record Room, Circuit House, Police Barracks, Jail, Post Office, College Building, and Motihar-Kajla-Shahapur, Khojapur, all these areas were damaged. The official report mentions that government property worth Tk1.5 lakh was destroyed. However, the damage to private establishments was not estimated.

Due to the impact of the earthquake, the high-pressure water and suspended sand were forced upward through cracks or fissures in the overlying, non-liquefied ground. Sand and water, accumulate into conical heaps, or sand boils surfaced in various places throughout the district. The roads developed cracks in such a way that traffic was completely blocked on some roads for several days. Even the Atrai and Kanthal railway bridges were badly damaged. As a result, the rail link was halted for several days. In addition, many bridges and culverts in the district collapsed, blocking traffic on many routes for a long time. The ground developed cracks and water and sand rose in the courtyards of many houses in Rajshahi city, Natore, and Naogaon districts, and numerous large trees were uprooted.

In some places, half-mile-long cracks appeared in the cultivated land. These cracks were nine or ten feet wide. Mudwater, sand, and water rose through these cracks, destroying the fertility of many crop fields.

The 1923 'Bengal District Gazetteer Pabna' states that the earthquake destroyed the upper floors of the sub-divisional office, the jail, the post office, and other structures in Sirajganj. The jute bag factory of Andrew Yule & Co. was reduced to dust by this shock. As a result, the company was forced to close down its business. Other brick structures including the Pabna Court House were also damaged. At various places on the surface, many wells were filled with silt and sand rising from the ground. The Navaratna Chura of the Kantaji Temple in Dinajpur collapsed in that earthquake and took the present shape.

According to the 'Eastern Bengal District Gazetteer Chittagong', the duration of the earthquake ranged from six seconds to five minutes depending on the location. It lasted the longest in Chittagong. A report in The Guardian said that the 'aftershock' continued for more than a week after the earthquake. 'A glass of water left on a table in a tea garden in Assam continued to shake for a week after the earthquake. It did not stop even once'.

'Eastern Bengal District Gazetteer Dhaka' stated that this earthquake damaged many notable structures in Dhaka city. Everything within 500 square kilometers of the earthquake's source in Meghalaya was reduced to rubble. All the structures built with 'masonry' or brick-stone-cement collapsed over an area of 150,000 square kilometers. The Nawab family, terrified by the collapse of the dome of Ahsan Manzil in Dhaka, reportedly lived in tents in front of the Manzil for a few days. The death toll in Sylhet district alone was 545. At that time, the total loss was estimated at Tk50 lakh.

A research article in Nature magazine (2001) stated that the Oldham Fault, approximately 78 miles (110 km) long, was responsible for the massive 1897 Great Assam earthquake. While not exactly "sleeping" in the sense of being inactive, this fault is considered a significant ongoing seismic hazard. The concern is that the Oldham Fault has moved further south in the past century, towards the Bangladesh border. Another catastrophic earthquake like the one in 1897 could occur in the Rangpur region. However, since the Oldham Fault can trigger once in every three thousand years, the chances of such an earthquake occurring in the near future are very low.