Dam collapse leaves thousands panicky

Call to take steps to shore up Khulna embankment

FE Team | Published: August 24, 2022 23:52:13

A section of the road has been washed away in Dacope upazila of Khulna recently — bdnews24.com

Panic has gripped the residents of Sutarkhali and Kamarkhola in Khulna's Dacope Upazila after a dam built in the region began to collapse.
The damage to the dam has recently appeared at polder No. 32, a reclaimed piece of lowland, in Khulna, according to Kamarkhola Union Parishad Chairman Panchanan Kumar Mandal, reports bdnews24.com.
"The dam brings no benefit to the residents as it was built without understanding the nature of the rivers surrounding the area," he said.
The unions, surrounded by the Dhaki, Shibsa, Sutarkhali and Bhadra rivers, are home to 60,000 people. The dam, which was built with financial assistance from the World Bank, cracks almost every year. The authorities have yet to complete the work on the embankment.
"The river banks should be protected with concrete blocks to reap the benefits of the dam. The structure built in a disaster-prone area will not hold up if the banks are not preserved," said Panchanan.
Cyclonic storm 'Aila' severely damaged parts of polder No. 32 in 2009, forcing people to stay away from the region for more than two years. The living standards in the area remain less than ideal, with people moving to the city or nearby districts in search of work.
"River erosion has made well-off families in the area poor and helpless. They have lost their land several times due to disasters and erosions. A sustainable dam can save them," said Nokulchandra Mandal, a local resident.
Asraful Alam, an executive engineer at Bangladesh Water Development Board's Khulna wing, said he was concerned about the damage to the dam.
"Measures have already been taken to preserve two kilometres of the river bank during the construction of the dam. Efforts are underway to preserve another six-kilometre stretch."