Sluice gate collapse threatens flood in 3 Paikgachha unions

PAIKGACHHA, KHULNA, Aug 17: A large section of the Kachubunia sluice gate in Gadaipur Union of Paikgachha Upazila has sunk after developing severe cracks, raising fears of flooding in three unions and damage worth crores of taka.

One of the three sections of the sluice gate has been completely damaged, while the remaining sections have also sunk and become unusable, locals said.

Thousands of people in the area are now living in fear that tidal water from the Shibsa River could enter the locality through the damaged structure at any time and cause severe flooding.

According to locals, the cracks appeared sometime during the night of August 16 when the tidal water in the Shibsa rose unusually high. A large portion of the structure subsequently collapsed and sank.

The sluice gate is crucial for regulating water in the area, which is surrounded by rivers, canals and low-lying land. The strong tidal pressure of the Shibsa is now directly hitting the weakened structure, locals said.

The sluice gate falls under Polder 16-17. Abul Hasan Gazi, a member of Ward 2 of Gadaipur Union Parishad, said the consequences of a collapse could extend far beyond Kachubunia.

“If water enters freely through the damaged sluice gate, Gadaipur, Kapilmuni and Haridhali unions will be completely flooded. This could destroy crores of taka worth people’s property, cropland and fish enclosures,” he said.

There are also fears that settlements, roads, hundreds of hectares of cropland and fish enclosures in Kachubunia, Shyamnagar, Agargahta, Kazimucha, Malti, Gadaipur, Takiya and Mathbati could be submerged if the damaged section collapses further.

Sheikh Khorsheduzzaman, Acting Chairman of Gadaipur Union Parishad, said the union authorities had no specific responsibility or allocation to repair the sluice gate.

“It is entirely under the Water Development Board (WDB). If the administration or the board assigns us responsibility, we will work. However, I am going to visit the site with local people in the afternoon,” he said.

The sluice gate is under the direct supervision of the WDB. Several attempts were made to contact the concerned sub-divisional engineer, Raju Howladar, by phone and SMS for comments on the damage and emergency repairs, but he did not respond.

Local residents said the situation has heightened concern over the lack of immediate action by the authorities.

For people living in the coastal areas of south-western Bangladesh, a damaged sluice gate or weak embankment is more than an infrastructure problem�"it can threaten their homes, livelihoods and crops.

Locals said a breach could allow saline water to enter settlements, causing severe shortages of drinking water and damaging homes, livestock, croplands and fish enclosures.

They urged the WDB and district and upazila administrations to take immediate measures to prevent a major disaster.

They also called for a structural assessment of the sluice gate and permanent repairs rather than temporary patchwork, warning that failure to act quickly could lead to a serious humanitarian crisis in Paikgachha.