Flood: Failing Kushiyara dam posing new threat

Fresh threat is looming over flash flood-affected district of Moulvibazar from the north with the surging Kushiyara River gradually weakening its embankment.

Cracks are showing up along the embankment in Sadar’s Holdikul area due to the force of water stream. If the dam fails, it might inundate parts of Sylhet and worsen the flood situation in Moulvibazar town and adjacent areas.

The Kushiyara is a trans-boundary river, flowing in from northern hills of Assam, entering the Bangladesh through Sylhet’s Zakiganj. The Kushiyara and Surma rivers have the same origin point, and Kushiyara merges into the Surma again at Habiganj.

Moulvibazar District Councillor Tofael Islam told The Daily Star the flood situation improved in the past two days, but the damages to Kushiyara embankment are growing concerns.

Last reported this afternoon, the Kushiyara, was surging 31cm above the danger level at Sherpur point in town, Ronendro Sankar Chakraborty, an executive engineer of local Water Development Board (WDB), told The Daily Star.

“Due to heavy rainfall coupled with onrush of hilly water, the soil under the embankment is eroding, causing the rifts to appear on the embankment,” he said.

Water Development Board, Bangladesh Army and locals are working in arms to repair the rifts of the embankment with the help of timbers and sand sacks. Though such temporary repair is not helping the condition much, they are trying.

If the embankment is not repaired soon, it will flood a huge area, worsening the present flood condition in Moulvibazar district, Engr Chowdhury added.

The locals are blaming the indifference and negligence of Water Development Board officials behind the failing embankments of Kushiyara River.

The prevailing flash flood in Moulvibazar was triggered by the breach in embankments to Monu River. After showing cracks for the previous couple of years, the dam finally collapsed at different points last week.

Now, according to District Councillor Tofael Islam, waters of the Monu, Khowai and Dhalai rivers have receded – resulting in retreating flood water in Moulvibazar.