Tk 18cr down the drain!

Concrete blocks on the Ichhamoti embankment renovated last year are collapsing. The photo was taken from Harroddah in the Sadar upazila on Tuesday. PHOTO: STAR

The project was completed last year at a cost of Tk 18 crore.

This correspondent during a visit on Tuesday found the blocks collapsing at several points in Haroddah upazila. Cracks on the embankment were also seen at several points as concrete blocks got displaced.

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The project was completed by the Water Development Board (WDB) with assistance from the Asian Development Bank (ADB).

Sources in WDB seeking anonymity and local people alleged that the embankment is collapsing as sand was used instead of soil for renovation.

When contacted, WDB Executive Engineer Ismail Hossain said security money of two construction firms who renovated the embankment and reinforced it with concrete blocks has been held up for faulty work. But he declined to name the two firms.

The corruption was done allegedly in connivance with a section of dishonest WDB officials, it was gathered.

The Ichhamati river is on the Bangladesh-India border. Ichchamoti and Kalindi rivers flow 80 kilometres through Satkhira district covering Haroddah, Ramchandrapur, Padma Shakhira and Komarpur in the Sadar upazila, Bhatshala in Debhata upazila, Bashantapur in Kaliganj upazila and Kaikhali in Shyamnagar upazila.

The Ichhamati meets the Kalindi at Kaikhali and flows into the Bay of Bengal through the Sundarbans.

The embankment renovation project was taken up to check continuous erosion by the two rivers.

Erosion by the two rivers in the border areas and change in their courses have changed Bangladesh's map at several points in the border. Vast lands have disappeared from Bangladesh territory and accrued on the Indian side of the rivers.

During rainy season, the rivers wreck havoc, devouring homesteads and croplands, besides flooding vast areas.

Over Tk 24 crore has been spent in the last five years to check the erosion by the two bordering rivers.

The concrete blocks were placed as a "permanent measure" to check the erosion. Collapse of the blocks has frustrated local people, who apprehend damage to the embankment in next rainy season. Unless steps are taken for immediate renovation, flood waters rolling from across the border will wash away the embankment, they feared.

The river bank renovation work was undertaken after the devastating flood of 2000 in Satkhira. Under the project, 1445 metre concrete blocks were placed in Polder No.1, 730 metres in Polder No-3 and 1050 metres in Polder No 5 to protect the Ichhamati embankment. The project was completed last year.

Another 428 metre concrete blocks were placed to protect the bank of Kalindi at a cost of Tk 5.5 crore. The work was started in 2003-2004 financial year and completed last year, sources said.

WDB sources said more 310 metre blocks will placed to reinforce the Ichchamoti bank in Haroddah in the current financial year at a cost of Tk 1.23 crore. A firm is making the blocks now.