Concrete debris turns Kuakata beach hazardous
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Large and small chunks of concrete rubble with protruding iron rods and jagged edges have turned the Kuakata sea beach hazardous for beachgoers.
A good number of beachgoers already sustained injuries from the debris that remains out of sight during high tides, the safest time to bathe in the sea.
Kuakata beach is a popular destination from where both rising and setting of the sun can be observed.
Locals said the rubble is from the boundary wall and parts of a rest house and bio-gas plant, owned by Local Government Engineering Department (LGED), which got damaged when super cyclone Sidr lashed on the shores of Bangladesh in 2007.
The parts of the damaged boundary wall had remained underneath the sand in the beach since then, but it started to emerge after the recent super cyclonic storm Amphan struck the region in May.
The damaged building was cleared off later, but the damaged sections of the boundary wall had remained intact under the sands of the beach. The remains of the wall finally surfaced during the monsoon in 2016. Every year, the debris gets covered by sand in the dry season and it gets washed up in the rainy season, usually between May and October, the locals also said.
Abdul Hannan, who came to enjoy the beech from Jashore, said, "While bathing in the sea during high tide, I got injuries from concrete chips."
For the sake of safety of a large number of tourists from home and abroad, the authorities need to keep the beach clean from hazardous materials, he also said.
Anwar Hossain Anu, secretary of Tour Operators Association of Kuakata, confirmed that many tourists have been getting injuries from submerged concrete debris at the beach.
Contacted, Kuakata town Mayor Abdul Barek Molla said they would take urgent steps to remove the concrete debris from the beach.
He also said that some of the debris was removed from the beach last year, but its resurfacing this year has been causing great distress to tourists.
Abu Hasnat Md Shahidul Haque, upazila nirbahi officer of Kalapara and also the secretary to Kuakata Beach Management Committee, said they would soon clear the hazardous materials from the beach to ensure safety of all tourists.
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