Padma river protection embankment eroded
Friday, 31 July 2015
FARIDPUR, July 30 (BSS): About sixty metres pucca Cement Concrete (CC) blocks of town protection embankment at Dholar Mor constructed about some five years ago was eroded Wednesday causing concern among the people residing on the river Padma bank.
It may be mentioned here that this is the third incidents of erosion in the current season.
The first one took place at C&B ghat area about a month ago as soon as the monsoon had begun while the second one took place in the early morning of July 11 last when about 50 metres CC blocks of the pucca town protection embankment eroded in the river.
However, the second erosion was temporarily repaired by placing geo bags and sand filled bags immediately after the incident at an estimated cost of Tk 3 million (Tk 30 lakhs) by Water Development Board (WDB) authority.
After hearing the news of erosion the LGRD and Cooperatives Minister Engineer Khandker Mosharraf Hossain instructed the concerned authority to take immediate protective measures to save the district town and the people and their belongings from damages and loss.
It may be mentioned here that the 10 kilometres pucca town protection embankment on the South-Western bank of Padma was constructed at the strong initiatives of Minister Engineer Khandker Moshrraf at an estimated cost of Tk 1.98 billion (Tk 198 crore).
Describing the cause of the erosion, the UP chairman of Decreer Char Sadiquzzaman Milon Pal said that indiscriminate sand lifting for the last few years and also movement of hundreds of sand laden trucks daily have caused the erosion.
However WDB sources scouring at the river bed due to strong current was another reason of erosion.
Faridpur Sadar upazila chairman Khandker Mohtesham Hossain Babor also visited the area and contacted the WDB for immediate repair of the embankment.
Now Padma is only one and half kilometres away from the town with a tendency of continuous erosion.
WDB has already started protective measures by placing geo bags and sand filled bags in the river bed for check further erosion and damage.