Who cut the dam?
This refers to your Bogra correspondent's report (DS: 17 July). According to the report the Deputy Minister for Disaster Management has asked the Water Development Board to withdraw their statement that the flooding was an act of sabotage. In contradiction the on site Sub-Div. Engineer of the Water Development Board says that there was no reason for the embankment to collapse at that particular location when other more vulnerable locations withstood the rush of flood waters. Both the WDB and the local UNO describe it as an act of sabotage. Local villagers blame the wrangle between pro BNP contractors as to who would repair the embankment, as the main reason for the flood waters rush.
With three very divergent view points, one can only conclude that while the BNP contractors were fighting over each other as to who would do the work, and the WDB officials awaiting the result of their fight as uninterested party, the water broke through and washed away any evidence of sabotage or any other cause of the incident.
Poor WDB officials are now left behind as the easy target. They unfortunately may have no choice between the frying pan and the fire. No wonder governance in Bangladesh is going away fast, like the flood waters; also flushing out all the contradiction between different agencies and leaving the unfortunate officials on the spot sucked into the mire caused by others' misdeeds.
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