A 150-foot section of the Water Development Board (WDB) embankment in Botbunia, Tildanga Union of Dacope upazila, Khulna, collapsed into the Dhaki River around midnight on Tuesday, inundating vast areas and leaving over a thousand families stranded.
Triggered by a powerful tidal surge during the full moon tide, the breach in Polder No 31—located west of Botbunia Bazar near the Hari Temple—has submerged approximately 200 bighas of transplanted Aman paddy fields.
Fish from ponds and enclosures were washed away, and several homesteads have already been lost to the rising waters.
Roben Bala, one of the affected residents, watched helplessly as his home was swept away in the dead of night.
“I have taken shelter with my wife and children at a neighbor’s house,” he said, visibly anxious about what comes next.
On Wednesday morning, as waters briefly receded, residents including Prokash Bala, Sanjit Bala, Tarapada Bala, Srikanta Bala, Suranjan Bala, and Sanjay Sardar dismantled their homes and relocated to protect what remained of their belongings.
However, the breach remained unsealed, allowing tidal water to continue flooding nearby localities and threatening thousands of hectares of cropland.
Locals blame the erosion on years of inadequate river management and ineffective embankment design.
“We do not want to see the same kind of embankment rebuilt,” said Pradip Bala, another victim.
“We’re not asking for food or shelter. We want a sustainable, modern embankment built after proper river management so we can live without fear.”
Community members say the one-kilometer embankment along Botbunia Bazar has been vulnerable since Cyclone Amphan and other natural disasters over the past two years.
During that time, the embankment in front of the market collapsed, flooding homes and businesses.
Nearly 100 shops built atop the embankment were swallowed by the river, and subsequent deepening of the riverbed worsened erosion.
To mitigate further damage, the WDB had previously engaged contractor firm Messrs Matin Enterprise to reinforce the embankment using dumped materials and sand-filled geo-tube bags.
An alternative embankment was later constructed, but progress was hindered by landowners unwilling to provide soil or allow use of their farmland.
Though the embankment was eventually completed, new deep channels formed nearby, and the Dhaki River devoured a 150-meter stretch of the newly built structure during Tuesday night’s tide.
Experts say the embankments built in the 1960s have deteriorated due to the lack of regular river management, resulting in repeated losses of cropland, homesteads, and infrastructure.
Tildanga Union Parishad Chairman Md Jalal Uddin Gazi confirmed the breach and said initial efforts to seal it with sand-filled geo-tubes failed.
“Water re-entered during the noon tide. Locals are working day and night to rebuild the embankment. If the breach isn’t sealed immediately, extensive damage to Aman crops and property is likely.”
Khulna Department of Agricultural Extension Deputy Director Md Nazrul Islam said that as of 3pm Wednesday, about 200 bighas of Aman paddy were at risk.
“Initially, 12 bighas were affected, but by the afternoon tide, the damage expanded. If repairs aren’t completed within two to three days, saving the crops will be difficult.”
WDB Executive Engineer Md Ashraful Alam said repair works are ongoing at several vulnerable points of Polder No 31.
“Once the water recedes, the contractor will resume sealing the breach using manpower and necessary materials. Dumping and sand-filled tube bags have already been placed.”
However, the contractor is reportedly facing resistance from local farmers unwilling to allow soil collection from their fields, which currently hold standing Aman crops.
“We are seeking cooperation from all to complete the embankment repair quickly,” Alam added.
