An unusual tidal surge engulfed vast areas of lands and disrupted communications for hours, causing panic among residents of Kalapara coastal region inPatuakhali district.
According to reports, almost 400m of flood control embankments were washed away on Sunday noon at Nizampurin Mohipur union.
The day before, an alternative ring-dam for an under construction sluice gate was washed away. The tidal surge submerged 809 hectares of land and cut off at least 2,000 people from their homes in the area.
Water reaching up to five feet flooded the passages of three ferry platforms and several bridges in Kalapara, disrupting communications with Kuakata, a popular tourist area.
Local reporter Mezbahuddin Mannusaid instances of unusual tidal surges are daily occurrences, especially during high tide when links to the area are submerged twice a day and transport services have to depend on high and low tide timings to travel to the area.
Yusuf Ali, a local resident, said the condition of the main embankment at Polder 47/1 is becoming more vulnerable due to persistent high sea levels. Locals are worried their land and homes will be flooded at any moment.
UjjalSen, sub-assistant engineer of Kalapara Water Development Board (WDB) said due to the weather condition caused by Mahasen the embankment was badly damaged at various points, which was further aggravated by the tidal surge and flooding in the area, threatening the safety of people from the villages of Nizampur, Sudhirpur, Puran Mohipur and Yusufpur.
According to WDB and local sources, when a similar situation arose along the banks of the Ramnabad River in Golachipa upazila of the same district, almost 3,000 people were forced to abandon their homes in GazirKhal, Munshipara and Nowapara villages in the area.