Sustainable dam demanded at Patharghata

PATHARGHATA, BARGUNA, July 17: Local residents formed a human chain on the risky guide dam in the Panchchunga area of Sadar Union in Patharghata Upazila of the district at 10 am on Friday demanding the construction of a sustainable embankment for permanent protection from river erosion and tidal waves. 

The participators said that the guide dam from Jintala to Badurtala has been in a risky condition for a long time since the Cyclone Sidr in 2007 and has not yet been permanently rebuilt. Especially, thousands of people in the area eroded by the Padma River and in Ruhita Village are living in constant fear. Although sandbags were dumped at various times, it could not bring any effective solution in the long term.

Acting Chairman of Patharghata Sadar Union, Sagir Alam, said that some places in the union are currently very risky. “If effective measures are not taken quickly, major damage can occur at any time,” he also said.

Former vice-president of Upazila Swechchhasebak Dal, Mahabur Rahman Sumon Molla, said that instead of temporary repairs with bags of soil or sand, a sustainable embankment should be built by placing blocks. Otherwise, there is a risk that a larger part of the embankment will disappear into the river bed within a short time.

According to Badiuzzaman Shahed, former joint convener of Patharghata Upazila BNP, the people of this area, located at the mouth of the Bishkhali and the Baleshwar Rivers and the Bay of Bengal, have been living at risk for years. He sought effective initiatives from the government to quickly build a sustainable embankment.