The embankment spanning 320 kilometres in four upazilas of Khulna is in dire condition. Built in the 60s, many sections of this embankment have sunk in or worn away due to lack of restoration. The upazilas are Dacope and Koira of Khulna, Sharankhola of Bagerhat, and Shyamnagar of Satkhira
According to the Bangladesh Water Development Board (BWDB) these embankments could not be repaired or restored as there is not sufficient funding.
In Koira upazila, parts of the embankment are getting washed away with tidal waves. In Dacope, countless families live on the government land next to the worn-out embankment near the Kamalkhola and Gunari villages. With no place else to go, these people are at great risk as the embankment may wash away during heavy monsoon with expanses of land getting inundated.
According to the BWDB, 365.24km of the embankment is under the purview of its Khulna 1 office. Due to lack of repair, 109km of it is in dilapidated condition.
Under Khulna 2 office 7.45km of 510km embankment has become worn out. Four kilometre of 315 under BWDB Bagerhat is in a very risky state. Another 40km of the embankment have sunk in, allowing water to flow in whenever it is high tide.
Under BWDB Satkhira 1, 75km 0f 377 has become risky and 5km of it extremely risky, which might break off anytime. Under Satkhira 2, many parts of the embankment broke off in 84km of the 422km.
Abdul Jabbar, resident of Kathkata village in Koira, said: “Pieces of the bank falls away even with a slight increase in waves.”
Resident of Doshalia village Nitai Pal said: “We are spending our days and nights worrying about this worn-out embankment.”
Upazila Council Chairman Sheikh Abul Hossain said: “River bank erosion started in three polders. The World Bank has taken the responsibility to construct durable embankments in polders 32 and 33. Emergency work needs to be carried out immediately to stop the erosion in several areas. Hundreds of thousands of people are panicking because of the erosion in 34 points of the three polders. Atleast 10 rivers are seeing excessive increase in water level than the usual.”
BWDB Khulna 2 Executive Engineer Pijush Krishna Kundu said: “The risky 7.45km embankment needs to be repaired before monsoon. As the World Bank is likely to start work at polders 32 and 33 in June, BWDB is unable to work there.
But a funding request has been sent to the ministry for work on the embankments at the two polders. Repair work is going on at the risky parts of polder 31.”
BWDB Khulna 1 Executive Engineer Mujibur Rahman said: “As no funds have been allocated, the worn-out embankments cannot be repaired in time.”
Bagerhat BWDB Executive Engineer Md Mainuddin said: “Two crore taka was allocated for embankment repair but that amount is insignificant.”
