Over 50,000 people of 20 villages at Sharonkhola upazila, Bagerhat are in danger as a dam of Water Devlopment Board (WDB) on the bank of Baleshwari River has developed serious structural weaknesses and is on the verge of collapse.
Sources said two constriction firms – Messers SS and Alam Construction - started the work of the dam in 2014-2015 fiscal year at cost of Tk32 crore donated by World Bank. They completed the work two months ago.
Locals said a large portion of the dam near 35/1 holder in Tafalbari collapsed yesterday due to high tide.
According to WDB sources, the people of 20 villages of Southkhali and Raenda unions are in danger as the dam might collapse any time if proper steps are not taken.
Meanwhile, many people of the area including Abdul Halim Sheikh, Abdur Sabur Akhond, Muhidul Islam, Abdul Haque, Dulal, Liton and Zakir Ghorami went another places in last two days for shelter leaving their homesteads.
They said the dam might collapse anytime as about 700 kilometers of the dyke had already been grasped by the river.
If proper steps are not taken, many important structures including Tafalbari police out post, Southkhali Union Parishad, Tafalbari Bazar, bazars, hundreds of homesteads, croplands, schools, roads will go into the river bed as cracks have been found in several places of the dyke.
Ten villages including Bogi, Tebereka, Gabtola, Chalitabunia, Rayenda, Bilbunia, Rajeshar,Lakurtala of Southkhali union council were flooded after breaking open the dam.
Jalil Howlader, Delwar Hossain, Abul Hossain, Yousuf Hossain living nearby the dam said that they could not sleep at night sensing the fear of collapse of the dyke.
Sarankhola Upazila Chairman Kamaluddin said most of the houses of the common men on both sides of the dam were collapsed or blown away by the attack of cyclone SIDR in 2007.
As cracked developed at the dam within a short period, the common people got afraid thinking it if natural disasters like SIDR will happen again.
“The concern authorities should proper steps to repair the damaged dam immediately,” he said.
The upazila vice-chairman Hasanuzzaman said that the major portion of the dam was damaged due to heavy rain in the last few days.
He alleged that poor quality materials were used for the purpose of construction.
Upazila Nirbahi Officer Atul Mondol said low quality sand was mixed with the materials and those parts were damaged where the sand was used heavily.
Md Mynuddin, executive engineer of the WDB, said when the dam was built, the river was in a long distance. “Due to erosion, the river reached near the dam and it is on the verge of collapse,” he said.
