Jamuna devours embankment

With water receding in the Jamuna, fresh erosion has damaged a large portion of the bank protection embankment on the eastern side of Bangabandhu Multipurpose Bridge at Gorilabari in Kalihati upazila under the district, creating panic among the locals.

Erosion hit the embankment about 1.5km south of the bridge, around 6:00am on Wednesday, devouring about 100 metres of the embankment and more 100 metres at a nearby village, said sources at Bangladesh Bridge Authority (BBA).

Earlier on August 20 and 23, around 40 metres of the embankment went into the river, they said.

The BBA constructed the 200-metre bank protection embankment near the confluence of Jamuna and Dhaleswari rivers in 2003 to protect the east side guide embankment of the bridge and nearby localities from river erosion.

"Geo textiles are being dumped to protect the area from further erosion," Wasim Ali, assistant engineer at the site office of BBA in Tangail, said on the spot yesterday.

"Earlier, after the collapse of 10 metres of the embankment on August 20, an expert team from consultant firm Institute of Water Modeling (IWM) examined the damage on August 21. They later informed us that the damage is not a threat to the bridge," he said.

"The consultants from the IWM will re-examine the damage, and steps will be taken as per their suggestions," he said.

Nazrul Islam Talukder, a member of Gohaliabari union parishad, said over 20 dwelling houses were shifted from the river bank on Wednesday.

If the erosion is not checked immediately, the river may devour rest 1000 houses in the area, he said.

Talking to this correspondent on Wednesday, locals blamed illegal sand lifting near the embankment as the main reason for the erosion.

Although sand lifting is banned within 6km radius of the bridge, over a dozen of influential sand traders, including two local union parishad chairmen, have continued lifting sand from the river very close to the bridge with powerful dredgers for long, posing threat to the 5.63km-long bridge on the Jamuna, they alleged.

Local Awami League leader Mozaherul Islam, also upazila parishad chairman in Kalihati, while visiting the erosion affected area on Wednesday blamed negligence of BBA for the situation.

"Illegal sand lifting in the restricted areas is also one of the main reasons behind the erosion. If such dreadful erosion continues, the guide embankment as well as the bridge may face threat," he added.   

Wasim Ali, assistant engineer of the BBA, said they have already lodged several general dairies with the nearby police station against the sand lifters.

None were given permission from the administration for doing sand business near the bridge, said Abu Nasar Uddin, upazila nirbahi officer of Kalihati.

"I conducted a mobile court drive in Binudluhuria and Beltia areas near the bridge on Wednesday noon and fined four sand lifting workers Tk 50,000 each. We have asked for removal of all the dredgers and other equipment used for lifting sand from the area," he added.