Rehennuma Tarannum Rifat

At least 30-meter stretch of the right bank protection embankment at Bahuka area in Sirajganj Sadar upazila collapsed into the Jamuna river on Saturday afternoon due to huge scouring of water in the bottom of the river.

After collapse of the embankment, fear of massive erosion and even flooding has spread out among the local residents in the area.

Although, the authorities concerned of Water Development Board in Sirajganj have claimed that, they have already taken protective measures at the damaged area, people of the village and its neighboring areas have blamed negligence of the WDB authority as they did not take protective measures before starting of damage despite several warnings.

They claimed that, due to the lack of regular bathymetric or hydrographic surveys in the riverbed, the condition of the riverbed remains unknown to everyone. If the survey was conducted in a timely manner, the Water Development Board (WDB) authorities could have known the condition of the riverbed and taken necessary protective measures.

The view of collapsed portion of the Jamuna river.

Md Mokhlesur Rahman, Executive Engineer of WDB in Sirajganj told The Daily Sky that, “A bulk portion of soil has been removed from the riverbed due to huge scouring of water that leads to the erosion from the beneath of embankment.”

“We however, with the help of locals have started dumping of sand sacks with Geo-textile at the affected portion to protect the rest areas,” he added.

Habibur Rahman, a resident of Bahuka village said, “We have already lost our homesteads and croplands several times due to erosion of the river. This time, with the rising of water in the river, erosion has taken serious turn again. If the embankment is not protected properly, the water of Jamuna will enter into the locality that may lead floods.”