Tidal surges damage Ramgati road, commuters suffer

Road on both sides of a box culvert over the Rahmatpur canal in the Mohammadpur Bazar area under Char Lakshmi-Boyarchar road in Ramgati upazila of Lakshmipur has collapsed, narrowing the passage. 

Consequently, all vehicular traffic on the road has remained suspended for the past week. Heavy downpour over recent times and abnormal tidal surges from the Meghna River due to the full moon caused the destruction as water rushed through the canal. This has brought severe hardship to commuters in Boyarchar and adjacent areas of Char Gazi union. 

People from Hatiya upazila in Noakhali and various areas of Ramgati regularly use this road to travel to key locations, including the Brijghat Fish Landing Center, Ruhul Amin Market, Char Rasta Bazar, Mohammadpur Tegachhia Bazar, Forest Center Bazar, Tangki Bazar, Solaiman Bazar, and Hatiya Bazar. Freight trucks, pickups, and CNG-run auto-rickshaws used to operate on this route.

With the approach road collapsed, students, medical patients, traders, and local residents in the Boyarchar area are facing immense suffering.

Under the Char Development and Settlement Project (CDSP), the Local Government Engineering Department (LGED) constructed the nearly three-meter double-barrel box culvert in 2002. Sources from the Upazila Engineer's office said the approach road gave way due to the strong current of abnormal tidal water from the Meghna River.

On-site inspection revealed that a 5-8 meter stretch on both sides of the eastern approach road of the culvert has caved in. Locals said residents rely on this internal road to travel to Boyarchar, Barkheri, and Char Gazi unions from Noakhali's Hatiya and the Lakshmipur district and upazila headquarters. Various heavy and light vehicles, including motorcycles, auto-rickshaws, and trucks, ply this road daily.

When the double-barrel box culvert was built, the canal was 6-7 meters wide. However, after the Gabtoli sluice gate broke, high tidal surges from the Meghna River eroded both banks during the last monsoon, widening the canal to 20-25 meters. Locals are now demanding the construction of a 25-30 meter bridge over the canal.

Ramgati Upazila Engineer Snehal Roy said the approach road collapsed due to strong tidal currents from the Meghna River flowing through the canal. He added that emergency repair work is currently underway to restore traffic movement on the damaged road.

-RMB/SA