Aila victims brace for rains as dikes yet to be repaired
Left without any repair since cyclone Aila hit the area on May 25 last year, this breached portion of embankment at Garkomorpur on Kobadak River in Padmapukur union of Shyamnagar upazila under Satkhira district leaves locals vulnerable to added sufferings during the coming monsoon. A few other large breaches including those at Jhhapa in the same union and Chakbara on the Kholetua River in Gabura union of Shyamnagar upazila are also in the same condition.Photo: STAR
Thousands of Aila victims in the worst affected Shyamnagar and Assassuni upazilas fear added sufferings during the coming monsoon as major breaches on the damaged embankments have not been repaired even nine months after the cyclone ravaged the area. Against the backdrop of the Water Development Board's (WDB) failure to repair the major breaches, the local administration with the help of army has started constructing a 'ring road' to protect a large area in Shyamnagar upazila on an emergency basis. However, there is hardly any hope for completion of repair work of the major embankments before the rains as the contractors who got work order from the WDB failed to start the work in time. Earlier Satkhira district administration with the help of army and locals made small repairs at 32 points on the embankments in worst-hit Gabura and Padmapukur unions in Shyamnagar upazila and in Pratapnagar union in Assassuni upazila on an emergency basis. "We did the repair work in exchange of 1500 tonnes of rice under the Food for Work programme and cash Tk 4,50,000. But the high pressure of water and strong current forced us to stay away from repairing the major breaches that later got widened with saline water gushing through them," Satkhira Deputy Commissioner (DC) Md Abdus Samad said. The Aila affected people who are now residing in makeshift homes on the embankments fear that their sufferings will increase manifold during the next monsoon. Over 12,000 residents of Gabura and Padmapukur unions in Shyamnagar upazila have left their ancestral houses for other areas in the country in search of work and safety. Earlier on several occasions, ministers and high officials including those from WDB assured of taking measures to repair the major breaches on the damaged embankments in the lean period from December last year to January this year. The WDB authorities took up projects to repair the major breaches on the embankments at a cost of Tk 13,74,00,000 and invited tender to repair the nine major breaches on the embankments in the worst affected Gabura and Padmapukur unions. They issued work order to nine contractors for doing the job on December 24 last year but no progress has been made to repair the breached embankments. "The local administration repaired breaches at 24 points with the help of army and local people. But repair of larger cracks at five points -- 9 No Sora, Chakbara, Jeliakhali, Khalishabunia and Chadnimukho in this union has not been done due to negligence of the authorities concerned. Over 8,000 out of 37,000 affected people of my union have left their homes in search of work and also for safe living as the authorities failed to repair the major breaches in time," Shafiul Azam Lenin, chairman of Gabura union said. Amzadul Islam, chairman of Padmaukur union, another worst hit area said, "The affected people are facing uncertainty in the coming monsoon as four larger breaches at Jhhapa, Chandipur, Chaulkhola and Garkomorur in the union could not be repaired. Over 4000 out of 35000 residents left the union for safety and in search of work. Acute scarcity of safe drinking water adds to the sorrow of Aila affected people." "Cyclone Aila destroyed our houses, furniture and livestock. We will have to borrow added sufferings if the embankments are not repaired shortly," said Mohammad Ali Mallik of village Jhhapa in Gabura union. Contacted, local WDB Executive Engineer Mujibar Rahman said they will be able to repair the major breaches within April next as the department issued work order to repair the breaches. Satkhira DC Md Abdus Samad, who visited the affected area recently, told this correspondent that the WDB may not be able to complete repairing the breaches before the next monsoon as the contractors concerned did not start their work in time.
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