Flash flood washes away 30m stretch of Sherpur road

NALITABARI, SHERPUR, July 11: A nearly 30-metre stretch of the Sherpur-Gazirkhamar-Nalitabari road in Sherpur has been washed away by strong currents from flash floods triggered by heavy rainfall and upstream runoff, disrupting traffic on one of the area's key roads.

The extent of the damage became visible on Friday afternoon after floodwaters receded. With nearly half of the damaged section having collapsed into the river, only motorcycles and other small vehicles are able to pass through the narrow remaining portion, while medium and heavy vehicles have been suspended.

A visit to the area found that floodwaters had entered low-lying areas through a breached embankment at Gollarpar in Kalashpar Union -- the same section that was damaged during floods two years ago but has yet to be repaired.

Over the past two days, flash floods caused the Chellakhali River to flow above its danger level. However, with no rainfall recorded on Friday, water levels have since begun to recede, easing the immediate flood threat.

According to the Sherpur office of the Bangladesh Water Development Board (BWDB), 110mm of rainfall was recorded in Nalitabari Upazila between Wednesday afternoon and Friday morning, while the Nakugaon land port area near the border received 106mm.

During the period, the Bhogai River flowed 43 centimetres below its danger level, while the Chellakhali River rose 206 centimetres above the danger mark before both rivers began receding on Friday.

The strong current also eroded nearly half of the 30-metre paved road section at Gollarpar, leaving only a narrow strip usable for light vehicles. Traffic by buses, trucks and other larger vehicles has remained suspended.

Floodwaters also continue to enter surrounding lowlands through a roughly 100-metre breach in the embankment along the Chellakhali River. However, as there are currently no standing crops in the affected fields, no crop losses have been reported.

Residents said the same section of the embankment was damaged two years ago but has not been repaired, allowing floodwaters to rush into the area whenever flash floods descend from upstream.

They also said the district administration and BWDB officials visited the site recently and assured them that repair work would begin soon, but no visible progress has been made.

Locals fear that if the embankment is not repaired before the upcoming aman cultivation season, floodwaters could inundate low-lying farmland and damage newly planted paddy.

Following reports of the damage, Sherpur Deputy Commissioner (DC) Farida Yasmin and Nalitabari Upazila Nirbahi Officer Md Abdul Malek visited the site, accompanied by officials from the Local Government Engineering Department (LGED) and the Bangladesh Water Development Board.

During the visit, the DC said LGED and BWDB had been instructed to immediately repair the damaged section of the road.
She also said a meeting would be held with the relevant agencies to expedite the work.

Regarding the embankment, she said the district administration had already sought funding from the ministry concerned, and the proposal had been approved.

"We will begin construction of the embankment as soon as possible," she added.