Crack in dyke threatens 30 Satkhira villages
A crack has developed in a flood control embankment on river Kholpetua at Banyatala trawler ghat point, threatening over 30 villages and 250 shrimp enclosures in Shyamnagar and Assassuni upazilas.
Locals feared that the villages will be flooded and the enclosures washed away if the 300-feet crack is not be repaired immediately.
The villages are Banyatala and Gar Pratapnagar in Padmapukur union of Shyamnagar and Kurikaunia, Sreepur, Nakna and Kalyanpur in Pratapnagar union and Ballavpur, Ekshara, Prajapur and Anulia in Anulia and Kapsanda, Godaipur and Tuardanga in Khajraunion union and Jamal Nagar and Hetalbunia in Bardal union of Assassuni.
The embankment may collapse anytime as high tide of the river is weakening it slowly, said an official of Water Development Board (WDB).
While talking to this correspondent, assistant teacher Bijli Rani Barkandaz of Padmapukur Government Primary School and Sirajul Islam, assistant teacher of Kurikaunia Government Primary School of Assassuni upazila said around 237 km of different embankments were completely and 1557 km partially damaged by cyclone Aila on May 25 in 2009.
Following the super cyclone, several cracks developed in the flood control embankment as its damaged portions were not repaired properly, they said.
College student Hamiz Uddin Gazi of Banyatala and social worker Nur-e-Alam Siddique of Pratapnagar villages in Padmapukur union said the crack widened upto 300 feet on Sunday.
Local shrimp cultivators set up pipes illegally across the embankment in connivance with a section of corrupt officials and staffs of the WDB to draw saline water in their enclosures which hastened the crack, alleged a few villagers.
Amjadul Haque, chairman of Padmapukur union parishad, said over 300 people went to repair the crack on Monday but failed.
They urged the government to take steps to save the embankment as soon as possible, said the UP chairman.
Contacted, executive engineer Shahidul Islam of Satkhira WDB said the repair work of the crack is going on.
He further said the authorities would build a 200-metre ring dam inside the crack point on the embankment on both sides shortly.
Shahidul, however, allayed fear of the villagers saying there is no possibility of embankment collapse right now.
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