Home ›› 13 Aug 2022 ›› Nation
A vast stretch of the Ramnabad river embankment has eroded due to lack of maintenance, causing Patuakhali's Kalapara upazila to become inundated during high tides and rendering Aman cultivation uncertain.
“Six kilometres of Ramnabad river embankment has been destroyed. People's homes and properties are being flooded by abnormally forceful tides,” Lalua Union Chairman Shawkat Hossain Tapan Biswas said.
Upon visiting the affected areas in Charchandupara, Munsipara, Burojalia, and Chandupara of Lalua union recently, this correspondent saw that in some areas, the embankment has vanished without a trace due to the strong currents during high tide.
According to the locals, the embankment has been gradually eroding since the cyclone Sidr in 2007. They are worried that the embankment will completely collapse during the tidal surge of the next full moon.
About 1,500 acres of cropland will be submerged and 2,500 underprivileged people will lose their livelihood if a new embankment is not constructed.
Dhankhali Union Chairman Riaz Talukder said three villages in his union are now submerged in tidal water due to the collapse of the portion of embankment in Debpur.
“Even if Aman paddy is cultivated now, the saplings will rot from waterlogging,” he said.
Although Aman paddy cultivation started in some areas of the upazila this season, many farmers have already lost their entire seedbeds due to the waterlogging that lasted for over two weeks.
“I work as a labourer in fields, but the crop cultivation is uncertain this year. My earnings depend on it, and now I do not know what to do,” said Kashem Talukdar, a resident of Charchandupara village.
Hundreds of residents recently held a human chain protest in Kalapara’s Char Baliatoli village, which has been heavily affected by the Ramanabad river erosion, demanding a durable embankment instead of relief.
Kamrunnahar, general secretary of a local community-based organisation, said the residents want a permanent embankment.
“The sluice gates in Char Baliatoli and Lemupara villages that broke due to water pressure should be repaired,” she said.
According to the locals, the Bangladesh Water Development Board (BWDB) is unable to build an alternative embankment due to land acquisition complications.
In some areas, BWDB cannot repair old embankments as the land was acquired by the Payra Port Authority.
Executive Engineer of Kalapara BWDB Md Arif Hossain said Payra Port Authority is responsible for the embankment in Lalua union. “Due to land acquisition problems, it is not possible to construct an embankment in Debpur union,” he added.
Many underprivileged people have resorted to going back and living in areas under erosion risk after their houses were washed away by the river. They are now living in temporary huts by the embankment, passing their days in fear of erosion.
UP member of the Lalua Union Parishad member Morjina said for more than a decade, Ramanabad river swells during monsoon and routinely inundates about 3,000 families in five villages - Char Baliatoli, Lemupara, Amtolipara, Boro Baliatoli, and Dwigar Baliatoli.
“The flood cuts off internal road communication, causes an acute crisis of clean water, and disrupts sanitation system which leads to various diseases,” she said.
