Embankments collapse in Sirajganj, Satkhira as two rivers swell
Two river embankments--one in Sirajganj and the other in Satkhira--collapsed on July 15 and 18 as water level in the Jamuna and Ichhamati swelled due to heavy rain.
In Siraganj, about 70-metre area of 2.5 kilometre-long Sirajganj town protection embankment collapsed on Monday night, reports our correspondent.
When the turbulent Jamuna started devouring the embankment at its hard point at around 11:15pm, locals informed the Water Development Board (WDB) Sirajganj office. WDB officials and employees rushed to the spot, started throwing blocks and sand bags at the hard point and brought the situation under control at around 3:00am.
In the meantime, about 70-metre area of the embankment at hard point, including a portion of the metalled road, collapsed into the river.
At one stage of the dyke protection effort, some locals became agitated and manhandled two section officers of WDB, holding them responsible for collapse of the town protection embankment. Police rescued the officers and pacified the agitated locals.
An army team from 10 Engineering Battalion and police have been deployed at the hard point of the embankment to protect it from further collapse. Around 3,000 blocks and 1,000 sand bags were put in the collapsed portion of the embankment until yesterday.
Sirajganj town protection embankment, built in 1997 at a cost of Tk 400 crore, collapsed for the fourth time on Monday. It collapsed twice in 2009 (July10 and 17) and on July 19 in 2010.
This year, 1,946-metre area of the two and a half kilometres long embankment was repaired at a cost of Tk 48 crore.
Executive Engineer Abdul Malek of Sirajganj Water Development Board said nothing was found wrong at the repaired point of the embankment during our regular survey until July 17.
A four -member committee headed by the additional deputy commissioner of Sirajganj has been formed to find out the reasons that led to the collapse of the embankment.
Our Satkhira correspondent reported that a ring-embankment at Shushilgati point of the Ichhamati River collapsed on July 15, flooding five villages in Debhata upazila of the district.
Sources in the Water Development Board (WDB) said heavy pressure of water during high tide led to the collapse of the embankment, marooning over 5,000 people of the five
villages. The affected villages are Debhata North Para, Khapara, Town Sreepur, Shushilgati and Shibnagar. The flood-hit people alleged that no measures have been taken yet to shift them to safer places.
Contacted, local administration said necessary steps are being taken to shift the affected people to safer places and provide relief for them.
The WDB authorities could not repair embankment as of filing of this report at 5:00pm yesterday due to heavy pressure of water that is flowing through the breached portion.
Debhata Upazila Chairman advocate Golam Mostafa and Upazila Nirbahi Officer (UNO) Kala Chand Singh told this correspondent that the authorities concerned would soon reconstruct the embankment.
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