Rain-swollen Satkhira dam on verge of collapse

SATKHIRA, Sept 14 (UNB): A dam along the coastal areas of the district is on the verge of collapse due to incessant rain.

With water levels of all the major rivers in Ashashuni and Shyamnagar upazilas of the district rising, many low-lying areas have already been inundated. Several fish enclosures have been washed away in the two upazilas, officials said.

Zulfikar Ali Ripon, officer-in-charge of Satkhira Weather Observatory Centre, attributed the showers to the depression in the Bay of Bengal. "The weather department has recorded 30mm of rainfall in the district in past 24 hours", he said.

Abul Khayer, executive engineer of Satkhira Water Development Board, said that a 62-km span of the dam at 35 points of the coastal areas, out of 800km, is at risk of collapse, though repair work is under way.