Embankment Collapse
200 shrimp, fish enclosures washed away in Bagerhat
Locals start repairing the damaged portion of an embankment adjacent to the Bhairab River in Bagerhat Sadar upazila through voluntary labour yesterday. Photo: STAR
More than 200 shrimp and fish enclosures in Bagerhat have been washed away as an embankment adjacent to the Bhairab River collapsed on Friday night. The Water Development Board (WDB) embankment on polder number 35/3 collapsed due to tidal surge, flooding Radha Ballab Beel and marooning over 150 families of Radha Ballab and Katua villages. Local people have been trying to repair the embankment through voluntary labour since Sunday morning. Sheikh Shahidul Islam, president of Radha Ballab Agricultural Cooperative Association under Bagerhat Sadar upazila said there are around 1400 acres of land in the beel. He said several hundred people of the area have remained marooned since Friday night while the owners of the shrimp and fish enclosures suffered a loss of about Tk 4 crore. During a visit to the area yesterday, farmer Sheikh Sohrab, 50, of Radha Ballab village told this correspondent that said his family could not prepare food on Eid day as his house was submerged by tidal water. He said tidal water washed away his fish enclosure on 10 kathas of land in the beel. Two siblings--Nikunja Paul and Shankar Paul-- of Katua village said they planted aman seedlings on their 24 bighas of land. But the seedlings got damaged due to saline water. WDB Executive Engineer Bazlur Rashid said the WDB employees with the help of local people are trying to repair the damaged embankment. Bagerhat Sadar upazila fisheries officer has preparing a list of the affect fish farmers in Radha Ballab Beel area. District fisheries officer Bazlur Rashid said the flood damage has been estimated at Tk 9o lakh by his department.
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