NILPHAMARI, June 25 (UNB): Ten villages under Dimla upazila of the district were inundated as the Teesta river swelled following onrush from the upstream, leaving over 10,000 people marooned.
Sources at the local Water Development Board office said the river was flowing 9.0cm above the danger level.
The gushing water of the river submerged villages, including Kharibari, Paglachar, Jharshingha, Latibari, Charkharibari, Khalishachapni,Kharkhalichapani, Bagherchar, Charbagherchar and Satnai, under three unions of the upazila, said Nilphamari-1 parliament member Aftab Uddin Sarker.
He said the victims took shelter in the dam along the Teesta River.
In Khulna, a significant portion of the Bhairab river embankment near the city's ghat area has experienced giant cracks recently.
A fifty-foot crack in ghat number 05 has surfaced with risk of further erosion.
Locals blamed loading-unloading of cargo ships in the area for the cracks developed over a 1.5km stretch on the river bank.
But authorities cite lack of funds as major reason in being unable to fix the damage.
On investigation, it was found that several heavy-weighted jetties are used to load and unload fertilisers, sand, stones and other materials near the ghat's embankments.
Some are even left for months, as a result of which the pressure causes the cracks to surface.
The protecting walls have been damaged due to the erosions, with the supported bricks uprooted already.
Locals allege that although the Bangladesh Inland Water Transport Authority (BIWTA) authorities renovated the embankment area, poor materials and lack of monitoring caused the renovated works to fall apart in a short period of time.
BIWTA executive engineer Md Najibul Haque said that they have inspected the damaged areas, but currently do not have any funds to conduct further repairing.
A report has been forwarded to the ministry seeking fund allocation, he added.
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