Mymensingh, Sherpur may miss boro cultivation

The Bhogai River Erosion Protection Dam was damaged due to the erosion in last year's flood. As a result, hundreds of acres of aman crops were damaged. A vast tract of cultivable lands also turned uncultivable.

However, repair work of the Nalithabari-Nakugao Road began anew following publication of a story in The Daily Star on December 29.

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The road is being repaired under a Food For Work (FFW) project at a cost of Tk 4.75 lakh.

The important road was damaged due to erosion by the Bhogai in last year's flood.

According to local people, the road repairing work would be fruitless if repair work of the river erosion protection dam is not done. 'Because the Bhogai will certainly damage the road again in the coming rainy season,' locals told this correspondent.

When contacted with local lawmaker Jahed Ali Chowdhury MP, he told The Daily Star that the Local Government Engineering Department (LGED), Sherpur had submitted a project proposal to the higher authorities to repair the Bhogai River Erosion Protection Dam. He expects the project to be sanctioned in near future.

Mohammad Jamal Hossain, Executive Engineer of Sherpur LGED told this correspondent although a project proposal was submitted to the office of the Chief Engineer of the LGED, the proposal is yet to be approved.

Although repair work of the Nalitabari-Nakugao Road is going on it will not last unless the dam is repaired, Jamal Hossain added.

Ashraful Haque, Upazila Engineer of Nalithabari upazila told this correspondent, a project proposal of Tk 4.75 crore was submitted to the higher authorities but to no effect. He said if the dam is not repaired this year, boro and aman crops of Nalitabari upazila in Sherpur district, Fulpur and Haluaghat upazilas in Mymensingh district will be damaged by floodwaters next year.

According to Yunus Ali Chairman of Nayabil Union, the farmers of Nalithabari upazila did not get aman crops last year due to damage in the protection dam. Hundreds of farmers' families have already turned pauper.

According to local people, farmers of three upazilas will incur a huge loss and cultivable lands in three upazilas will be uncultivable if the aforesaid dam remains damaged.