Bracing for floods

The breached embankment of Gaibandha town protection embankment at David Company Para, one of the nine vulnerable points yet to be repaired. PHOTO: STAR

The whole embankment may be threatened as there are numerous cracks in it, besides the breaches.

Water Development Board (WDB) Executive Engineer Babul Chandra Shil said they submitted a proposal for renovation of damaged portions of the embankment but it is yet to be approved. Renovation work will start as soon as funds are made available, he said.

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Local WDB constructed 25-kilometre embankments along both sides of Ghagot river under Gaibandha town protection plan at a cost of Tk 20 crore. The work was completed in 2002.

Besides building embankments, the work included installation of two outlet sluice gates and 10 small sluice gates, construction of a 70-metre bridge and loop cutting at six points.

Prior to implementation of the project, most of Gaibandha town and adjoining areas went under knee to waist-deep water that remained stagnant almost during the whole rainy season.

WDB had been maintaining the embankment by petty repair work to protect the town from floods. But last year it had no allocation of fund for emergency repair and as such flood breached the embankment at nine points at Paschm Kamornai, Chalkmamrospur and David Company Para in Gaibandha Sader upazila; and in Salaipur, Manduyer and Hamidpur in Sadullapur Upazila.

According to an WDB sources, the surging flood waters from Ghagot damaged a total of 2,115 metres of the embankment. Those portions are now vulnerable. Water from Ghagot often overflew the breaches during flood.

If the breaches and cracks are not repaired before the monsoon, most areas of the town will be inundated townspeople said.