Breach in protection embankment widens as Jamuna erodes
About 105-metre stretch of Sirajganj town protection embankment along with an adjacent road has collapsed in the River Jamuna.
Locals became furious after they did not found any officials of Water Development Board when the portion at the Hard Point started to go into the river on Thursday around 10:45pm, reports our Sirajganj correspondent.
The enraged people ransacked rooms and vehicles at the WDB office in Amlapara area and beat up its officials leaving five of them injured. The rampage continued till 3:00pm yesterday.
On information, police rushed to the spot.
They lobbed 13 rounds of teargas shells, fired 21-round rubber bullet and charged baton on the mob, leaving at least 30 people wounded.
Of the injured, 17 were admitted to Sirajganj General Hospital and others were brought to different clinics.
Locals brought allegation against authorities of misappropriation in the repair of the bank built by a South Korean company in 1997 at a cost of Tk 400 crore with 100 years’ guaranty.
On Monday, another 100m stretch of the bank near Old Jail area caved in, UNB reports.
Parts of the embankment were eroded into the river on July 19, 2010 and twice in 2009.
Meanwhile, an army team from 10 Engineering Battalion yesterday started supervising the repair of the embankment.
The authorities also declared red alert in the area around the collapse site.
Also, a new 70-meter breach has developed at the hard point in Old Jail area late Tuesday night.
Officials said, swirling water and strong current weakened the foundation at the Hard Point and bloc-net retention and bamboo piling were washed away, triggering fresh erosion.
Jamuna was flowing just nine centimetres below the danger level after its marker rose by 23cm in the last 48. Rains and onrush of water from the upstream swelled the river.
The town protection dam is in a very vulnerable position on different spots including the Hard Point.
Abdul Malek, executive engineer of Sirajganj WDB, said to protect further collapse they have thrown huge amount of concrete blocs and sand bags till yesterday morning.
A five-member inquiry committee, headed by the WDB chief engineer, has been formed to probe into the embankment collapse.
The high officials of water resources ministry and WDB have visited the spot and directed persons concerned to take immediate steps to control the river erosion in the area.
-With The Daily Star input
