NETRAKONA, Apr 1: Local Boro farmers are passing days in tension over an early breaching of crop-protection-embankment in wetland (Haor) area of Madan Upazila in the district.
Due to the breaching of a dam soon after repairing in this Haor-dominated upazila in the southeast area of Netrakona District, the Boro farmers are apprehending advance flash flood and submergence of their already maturing Boro crops.
At the same time, an allegation of substandard construction quality and of irregularity has been raised after the reported collapse of the dam.
The repairing of the breached embankment under Balu Bridge North Bank Crop Protection Embankment Sub-Project at Gobindasree Union was completed by February 28. But the dam got collapsed into a canal along it on March 4. The repairing began on December 15, last year.
According to local sources, the sudden collapse of the developed dam has triggered anger among local dwellers. Farmers are in fear of an irrecoverable submergence of their croplands, if early flood occurs.
While talking with this correspondent of The Daily Observer, a good number of dwellers complained, the dam was repaired in a lackadaisical supervising by the authorities concerned.
A recent visit to the embankment spot found a 100-yard area breached and disappeared; yet it is being tried in vain by locals to protect further soil-slope collapse by setting bamboo gunnies and sticks: but gunny-stick-based wrapping is failing to protect the dam.
According to sources at the Department of Water Development Board (WDB)-Netrakona, a total of 206 dams have been raised in the district's Haor areas under TR-Kabita programme under the WDB supervision. The project was implemented through Project Implementation Committee (PIC).
Of these dams, 24 ones have been repaired at Madan at Tk 2.05 crore. The one-kilomette-long broken dam was developed at Tk 18.11 lakh.
Local farmers said, since the crop-protection-embankment nearing Gobindasree Bridge has developed breaching without rain or downpour, it is very likely to experience collapse at different points, if there is rainfall; and the dam is not flood-tolerant.
This is not the single case of dam collapse in Haor areas. It is rather a yearly allegation of irregularity in crop-dam repairing. At the same time, the WDB shows less emphasis in this regard. So, farmers of Haor areas have to see their hard-grown Boro crops being submerged before hapless eye.
It was learnt, dam-based trading is also rampant. The dam-repairing is made by dropping only nominal soil. Farmers have to become victim of such irregularly-based dam development.
If the reported dam gets destroyed and submerged, it might make sweeping across Boro fields, thousands of farmers of the upazila will lose their yearly survival means. Food famine is likely; hardship will mark up family to family food crisis; cattle feed crisis will also appear; domestic animals will die from starvation due to lack of straw.
Farmers Rafiqul Islam, Abul Hossain, Golam Kibria and several others of Gobindasree Village said, "Our life and living including children's education depend only on one yearly crop of Boro paddy. If early flood submerges our Boro crops, there will remain no option of survival."
Officially, this year, a total of 17,350 hectares of land have been brought under Boro in Madan Upazila; and the paddy production target has been fixed at 68,706 tonnes.
President of Balu Bridge North Bank Crop Protection Embankment Sub-Project Committee Azizur Haq Sohel said, the slope side of the dam is a little deeper, so filled soil does not last; the soil makes sliding into the canal.
The bamboo-fencing was made with rod setting, but despite that the embankment portion near the sinkhole has collapsed, he added.
He further said, "It needs enhanced financial allocation for strengthening the threatened embankment. I asked upazila nirbahi officer (UNO) for raising the repairing allocation. He gave assurance. But it is yet to be done."
"In fact, such repairing makes us count loss," he maintained.
WDB's Sub-Assistant Engineer Obaidul Haq confirmed the collapse of that dam beside Gobindasree Kurh (sinkhole). The breached dam is being repaired, he added.
Madan UNO and Upazila Kabita Programme President Tanzina Shahrin said, the department concerned has been instructed for repairing the collapsed part of the embankment: it is going on.
WDB Executive Engineer Sarwar Jahan said, the dam has made a partly slide.
Deputy Commissioner (DC) Anjana Khan Majlish said, the soil-cutting of 206 dams has already been completed; of these, trees have been planted besides 176 ones; the work on the remaining ones is continuing.
A new project will have to be undertaken about the reported dam which has developed a little slide due to the deep river beside, she added. The DC maintained, it has been decided to protect that spot by dumping sand bags.
