Villages of the six unions under Koyra upazila in Khulna are on the verge of being flooded as 21km of the embankment, which is protecting the villages, is in a precarious condition.
The six unions which face the threat of being flooded by saline water are Koyra Sadar, Maharajpur, Maheshwaripur, Uttar Bedkashi and Dakkhin Bedkashi. People from these unions live in fear of losing their houses, arable land, poultry and fish farms. Embankment polders, numbered 13-14/1 and 13-14/2, which protect the aforementioned unions, have been severely damaged by the Shakhbaria River.
On July 23, the inhabitants of these villages sent a letter through the local MP Nurul Haque to the director general of Bangladesh Water Development Board (BWDB) requesting the authority to repair the dam immediately.
The Deputy Assistant Engineer of BWDB Md Abdul Matin said they had marked the spots where the embankment needed repairing, and informed the high-ups about them. The embankment was repaired with soil during the last fiscal year, but 21km of it needs immediate repair work again, he added.
Abdul Mannan, UP chairman of Dakkhin Bedkashi, said the villagers near the dam are repairing the embankment with soil, but they cannot hold on for long. Some villages were flooded when the water level in the river recently increased.
The UP chairman of Koyra AKM Tomijuddin said the people of Koyra upazila live under the constant threat of getting flooded by the river which almost encircles the area. He complained that the authorities concerned are indifferent to the sufferings of these people who have been demanding a stronger embankment for a long time.
UNO Md Shamim Hasan said a vast area might be submerged if the embankment was not repaired soon.
