Khulna Bureau :
Flooding due to river erosion is the biggest problem of Koyra, Khulna. Every year from April to June, there is extreme anxiety among the people of Koyra.
With climate change, the intensity of tides and changes in the movement of the river, the risk is increasing in this coastal region bordering the Bay of Bengal.
Meanwhile, the approval of the mega project worth about 12 thousand crore taka has given hope to the coastal people for the long-awaited construction of a sustainable dam, but there is pent-up anger among them due to the slowness and irregularities in the work. Despite sufficient allocation for the mega project.
Sand is being illegally extracted from the Kapotax and Shakbaria rivers and used for dam construction.
In addition, trees are being cut down and the green afforestation of the river banks is being destroyed. As a result, the durability of the dam is decreasing.
It is known that on the night of December 4, without any water pressure in the river or any kind of storm, a 200-meter embankment suddenly collapsed in the Matiabhanga area of Dakshin Bedkashi Union in Koyra Upazila. A large section collapsed into the river in a matter of seconds. The area was flooded.
The next day, at low tide, the locals were able to stop the water by voluntarily building a ring embankment, but the panic did not subside.
Talking to the locals, it was learned that unusual sounds of soil moving on the riverbank had been heard since 11 pm. Later, when they went there, they saw that about 200 meters of the embankment had broken, causing salt water to enter the area.
?The locals alleged that erosion in this area has intensified due to neglect in permanent embankment repair and river dredging for a long time. Currently, several areas on the banks of Dhanchar, Shamukpota, Kutuberchar, Gabtala and Kholpetua in Dakshin Bedkashi Union are at risk.
Describing the terrifying moment, Masum Billah, a resident of Matiabhanga, said, “The dam collapsed into the river before my eyes. I felt like it was all over today, that my houses and everything would be submerged.” ?
Local resident Abdus Salam said, “The river is advancing every day. In a few days, three houses have gone into the river. Although it has been dilapidated for a long time, no repair measures have been taken.
The collapsed part of Matiabhanga is under the mega project. Although work on various packages has been going on under the project for two years, it is extremely slow. Although that part of Matiabhanga has been in a fragile condition for a long time, the contractor has not given importance to the renovation.
Water Development Board (PAUBO) sources said that under the ‘Rehabilitation’ project of the Ministry of Water Resources, work is underway on a project worth about Tk 1,200 crore in two polders (14/1 and 13-14/2) of North and South Bedkashi Unions of Koyra Upazila. Work is being done to increase the height and width of the 32-kilometer embankment, slope conservation, river management and char afforestation. The erosion area of Matiabhanga is also under this project. Part.
UP member Didarul Alam said,”A crack was seen in this dam located near the confluence of the Arpangasia River and the Kapotaksha River, which border the Sundarbans, a month ago. We informed the people of Paubo. At that time, the workers just dumped the sacks and did the work. That place broke and flooded.”
?At night, villagers and Paubo together build an alternative ring dam to protect the area from flooding. ?But ring dams are not a permanent system to prevent river erosion. Conscious people say that the durability of the ring dam is very short. It can break at any major moment. If the main dam is not repaired quickly, the extent of the collapse may increase.
?Convenor of the Coastal and Sundarbans Conservation Movement, M. Anwar Hossain, said, ?Wherever the dam is being built, sand is being extracted from the surrounding area. In addition, soil is being cut from the river char to build the dam. Trees in the river char are being cut down and afforestation is being destroyed. Stating these issues, this civic leader raised questions about the durability of the dam.
Is this just a natural disaster, or is the dam structurally weak? This question has been raised by conscious people.
?Paubo Satkhira-2 Division Deputy Assistant Engineer Alamgir Kabir said, ‘While the work is underway, the dam The concrete block construction equipment was also damaged. The area was not flooded because we were able to block the water with an alternative ring dam at night. Our dam repair work has been going on vigorously since morning.’
?However, many people in the area have complained about the slow pace of work, incomplete soil filling, failure to provide CC blocks anywhere, and sandbags still to be placed in some places – due to these reasons, landslides have increased in many places and the risk of erosion has been created.
Khalilur Rahman, a resident of Dakshin Bedkashi, said, ‘Not only is the soil broken, many places in the area have been left unworked and left to be dumped. The danger of the rain has passed, but if the dam work is not completed properly before the next monsoon, there will be a big danger.’
??Paubo Satkhira-2 Division Sub-Divisional Engineer Md. Rashidul Islam said that efforts are being made to complete the project work quickly. However, the work is being delayed due to land acquisition complications, delay in allocation, sand and soil crisis and dependence on the river’s low tide time. He said, ‘Although the landslide at Matiabhanga at night created panic in the minds of the local people, a major disaster has been averted by the rapid construction of the ring dam. Work has started on the collapsed part since morning. Now there is no such risk.’
