40hrs on, no repair to breached Dhaki embankment

More than 40 hours after the collapse of an embankment on the Dhaki river in Khulna's Dacope upazila, authorities have yet to take any step for repairs, while water continues to inundate vast areas, submerging homes, croplands, and fish enclosures.

Locals have been working voluntarily round the clock to repair the breached section, but their efforts have so far failed.

The breach occurred on the night of October 7 near the Harisabha Temple in Tiladanga union. Since then, water from the river has flooded several villages including Botbunia, Nishankhali, Uttar Kaminibashia, and Arakhali.

Locals said the Water Development Board's embankment along the 31/1 polders was already in a fragile condition before the collapse. "We repeatedly informed the authorities about the risk, but no effective measures were taken," said Jalal Uddin Gazi, chairman of Tiladanga Union Parishad.

According to residents, WDB had temporarily reinforced the embankment with geo-bags and soil last year, but it could not withstand the strong tidal surge this time. Around 50 metres of the embankment initially gave way, and the breach later widened to more than 200 metres.

"We've been trying to close the breach with bamboo, sandbags, and mud since October 8 morning, but the strong current keeps sweeping everything away," said Sanjay Sardar, a member of Tiladanga Union Parishad.

Over 3,000 bighas of Aman paddy fields have already been submerged, and if the water cannot be stopped soon, the crop damage will be irreversible, he added.

"Around 302 hectares of Aman fields have been inundated so far. The crops have not reached the flowering stage yet and are still standing. If the water can be controlled within a day or two, major damage might be avoided," said Md Nazrul Islam, district agricultural officer in Khulna.

Ashraful Alam, executive engineer of WDB-2, said, "We are providing materials like sandbags and bamboo, and locals are working voluntarily, but repairing the breach is challenging as the geo-bags placed earlier have been washed away."

"A 500-metre permanent embankment is under construction with JICA funding, and a Tk 2,200-crore project proposal for long-term riverbank protection in the area has been sent to the Planning Commission for approval," he added.