Nearly 200m of the Chandpur town protection embankment on the Meghna River collapsed Tuesday, exposing vast tracts of land and many establishments to erosion.
There are fears that the famous Puran Bazar area may be submerged by the mighty Meghna River.
At least 10 houses and several business establishments in Bashata area of Puran Bazar were washed away within a few hours after the embankment collapsed.
Moreover, 2,000 businesses of the kitchen market and hundreds of factories in the area are now under the threat of erosion.
People have moved to safer ground and requested the Chandpur Water Development Board (WDB) to take necessary steps immediately.
WDB executive engineer Jibon Krishna Das said: “All the help needed would be provided to people affected.”
He said sandbags have been placed to stop further erosion.
Deputy Commissioner of Chandpur Md Ismail Hossain, Police superintendent Amir Jafar and officials of the WDB visited the areas when they learned about the collapse to see what needs to be done.
