Posted on July 23, 2018
With high tides gaining momentum, people living in over a hundred houses in villages along the district’s Bhairavriver are getting marooned.
As a result, vehicles are plodding on the roads at a huge risk, often ending up in accidents.
District administration has asked concerned upazila officials to remove the dams over the nearby canals that causing water pressures in the river.
It is being attributed to the erosions in the river, inundating areas near Bagerhat-Rupsha’s old road, including Muchighat and Rahimabad, with almost a kilometer stretch of road at dangerous risk.
This correspondent found on Monday a high number of waves passing through those areas’ roads, which is causing many to mistake the roads for part of the River Bhairab, with some even attempting to fish.
Local villagers are concerned whether their homes will be swept away in the advancing waters.
Thousands of commuters are said to have passed through the Bagerhat-Rupsha road. Even during low tides, the water subsides from the roads, but the villages remain flooded.
It becomes difficult for the villagers to even cook during that period. Even their livelihoods are affected due to the floods.
Villagers allege lack of excavation of the river for a long time has caused this breakdown.
A young girl was reported on Sunday to be swept away in the tides. She was later recovered and taken to a hospital for treatment.
Sirajul Islam, Md Naim Hossain and a few other villager said that their lives have come to a standstill as a result of floods caused by water inundation. Some of the women in the villages echoed similar sentiments.
Alam Sheikh, a driver, said that the high tides have caused several vehicles to overturn; but still they have to use that road as there is no alternative to it.
MA Matin, chairman of Jatrapur union, said that hundreds of his village’s families are marooned.
If the erosion and tides continue, then it will cause more damage, he feared.
He said several applications were sent to the authorities, but to no avail.
Deputy commissioner Tapan Kumar Biswas said that the accumulation of silt has caused such damaging high tide.
Steps for river dredging has been taken, he added, which will soon solve the problems.
District water development board executive engineer Jahurul Islam said that two temporary dams next to the road have been proposed, but no budget has been allocated so far.
Roads and highways executive engineer in the district Anisuzzaman Masud said that a proposal has been sent, but the dam has to be built by the local WDB office.
Source: Newage Bangladesh
