Swelling Padma, Jamuna: Two major rivers devour more fresh areas in Manikganj, Tangail
Erosion has taken a serious turn in Manikganj and Tangail as flood water continues increasing in the Padma and Jamuna rivers, devouring more fresh areas.
Water level in the Jamuna, Dhaleshwari and Jhenai rivers was flowing above the danger level in Tangail.
Meanwhile, a government primary school and Azimnagar Union Health Centre in Harirampur upazila of Manikganj devoured in the river Padma.
Despite repeated reminder, Water Development Board (WDB) authorities said they could not stop the erosion due to strong current in the Padma, our Manikganj correspondent reports.
Azimnagar Union Parishad (UP) Chairman Billal Hossain said more than 70 percent of the health centre building was washed away by the strong current of the river around 11:00pm on Saturday and the remaining rest part went into the river womb yesterday morning.
The health centre was established in 2014 at a cost of Tk 81 lakh, the chairman said.
He said last year, when it was only 150 yards away from the river he wrote a letter to the higher authorities and also informed the Harirampur Upazila Nirbahi Officer (UNO) about the erosion.
"The UNO told me that he had informed the WDB authorities. But WDB authorities did not took any immediate initiative to protect the health centre from erosion," the UP chairman further said.
In the second week of this month, the Padma river washed away Sutalari Ramchandrapur Government Primary School in the upazila.
Moreover, over a hundred houses and vast croplands have already been devoured in the river, while many other institutions in the upazila are still facing serious erosion threat, locals said.
Manikganj WDB Executive Engineer Md Main Uddin said, "Due to strong currents in the river nothing can be done at present to prevent the erosion. Attempts have been made by dumping sand-filled geo-bags in some areas in the past, but we did not succeed."
A government primary school was devoured in the mighty river this month, he added.
Our Tangail correspondent reported that water level continued increasing in the Jamuna and its branches in Tangail yesterday due to onrush of water from the upstream.
As a result, serious erosion hit the riverbanks and fresh areas along the river.
With the increasing water level erosion intensified at different places in the district.
Around 100 dwelling houses, roads, mosque, embankments and other important structures in five upazilas of the district have already been devoured by the rivers, sources said..
Rafiqul Islam of Bhalkutia village in Bhuanpur upazila said a concrete road was damaged by huge pressure of the flood water yesterday morning, disrupting communication.
A mosque is also on the verge of collapse and villagers were trying to save it by dumping soil bags, he said.
Ramjan Ali of Alipur village in Kalihati upazila said he is taking preparation to shift his dwelling house at other place once again.
"Due to erosion by the Jamuna I have shifted my house three times before," he said.
Gohaliabari UP Chairman Hazrat Ali Talukder said around 100 dwelling houses at Alipur and other adjacent villages under his union were devoured by the river during the flood while nearly 100 more houses are facing erosion threat.
Tangail WDB Executive Engineer Sirajul Islam said due to increasing water level they cannot stop the erosion.
According to WDB water was flowing 34 centimetre above the danger mark in the Jamuna river yesterday.
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