A severe embankment breach along the Kholpetua River in Satkhira has raised fears of major flooding, with anxious residents in Ashashuni demanding urgent repairs before high tide worsens.
A severe breach has hit a Water Development Board embankment along the Kholpetua River in Satkhira, raising fears of major flooding in Ashashuni as thousands of residents in nearby communities spend anxious hours bracing for disaster.
The erosion struck at Kakbasia in Anulia union of Ashashuni upazila, where powerful river waves swept away around 100 hands of the embankment on Sunday, sending the section into the river, according to local residents.
People in the area said the embankment near the Kakbasia ferry ghat had recently been repaired with sand-filled geo bags. But although cracks had appeared over the past several days, no effective steps were taken to prevent further damage.
Residents said the section beside the home of Sabur Gazi collapsed under strong river currents on Monday morning and also the previous day. In addition to the main erosion site, two more points to the north and south of the embankment are now in a risky condition.
Local journalist Ruhul Quddus said fresh erosion was appearing in two adjacent sections, including a 50-foot stretch to the north and a 100-foot stretch to the south of the damaged area.
He said that on the day of Eid al-Fitr last year, the same embankment gave way, leaving around 15,000 people in Anulia union stranded by floodwater. That breach caused extensive damage to crops and fish enclosures, he added.
Residents fear the entire area could be inundated unless emergency repairs are completed before the night tide.
After receiving news of the breach, Anulia Union Parishad Chairman Md Ruhul Quddus visited the affected area.
“The condition of the embankment is extremely fragile,” the chairman said. “Soil is being washed into the river every moment. If urgent repairs are not carried out through dumping, it will become difficult to protect the locality.”
Locals have called for immediate intervention by the district administration and senior Water Development Board officials, demanding effective steps to prevent a wider disaster.
Md Abdur Rahman Tazkia, executive engineer of Satkhira Water Development Board Division-2, said he had received reports of the erosion and that necessary measures would be taken to stop it.
But residents said the entire area could face a major calamity at any time unless the embankment is repaired immediately in a durable way.
