Teesta starts devouring embankment
Hit by upstream water of the Teesta river, a portion of the 300-metre-long erosion protection embankment was devoured at Gobordhan in Aditmari upazila yesterday, threatening eight villages.
The river continued devouring the embankment built over a decade ago to save the villagers' homesteads and croplands from erosion, local union parishad (UP) member Matiar Rahman said.
The Teesta devoured about 10 metres of the embankment at Gobordhan village in Mahishkhocha union in the morning, said locals.
UP member along with the villagers has been trying to save the dam from the river by dumping concrete blocks there, they said.
On information, local officials of Water Development Board (WDB) visited the spot at noon and assured the villagers of taking immediate steps to save the embankment.
Fazlar Rahman, 58, of the village, said his homestead, croplands and orchard were saved from Teesta erosion after the protection dam was built.
“But I am very worried about possible collapse of the embankment,” he said.
“We have taken shelter on the erosion protection embankment after losing our homesteads, and croplands due to Teesta erosion but it is a matter of great concern that the river is now threatening it,” said Nurul islam, 65, of the area.
UP chairman Mosaddeque Hossain Chowdhury said if the embankment collapses, eight villages of the union will totally go under water.
Lalmonirhat WDB Sub-Divisional Engineer Mohammad Al-Mamun said they have already taken preparation to save the embankment from the Teesta through dumping concrete blocks as per required.
Upazila Nirbahi Officer Abdullah Al Kahyrum said he has already communicated with the WDB authority and local UP chairman to save the dam.
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