Feni submerged due to lack of sustainable embankments

A total of 122 kilometres of embankment lines the three major rivers of Feni. These earthen embankments, built nearly 50 years ago, are repaired almost every year. Yet, due to a lack of sustainability, they keep breaking. During the devastating floods of August last year, embankments collapsed in 99 places. The authorities later spent Tk 190 million on repairs. This year, embankments have again broken in 20 areas, submerging over a hundred villages. 

Experts say sustainable embankments are built with materials that are resistant to damage and can last for at least 30 years. Such embankments should be environmentally friendly and designed for easy maintenance. Sustainable embankments like these can be found in countries such as the Netherlands, Japan, and the United States. 

Of the repaired spots from last year, at least four have broken again this time. In addition, new breaches occurred in 16 other locations. The Water Development Board (WDB) in Feni has said that it has initiated a project for building sustainable embankments, with an estimated cost of Tk 73.46 billion. Once the government approves the project, work will begin to reconstruct all 122 kilometres of embankment. 

Since Tuesday, water levels in the Muhuri and Silonia rivers in Feni have been flowing above danger levels. Heavy rainfall and upstream runoff from India caused the river levels to rise. As a result, embankments burst, flooding village after village. Homesteads and roads went underwater, forcing thousands of people to take shelter in relief centres. Water levels slightly receded yesterday.  

Though the embankments are old, they’ve been repaired from time to time. The last major renovation was in 2006, when the Flood Control, Drainage, and Irrigation Project was launched to build 122 kilometres of embankment along the Muhuri, Kahua, and Silonia rivers at a cost of Tk 1.51 billion (Tk 151 crore).

Construction began on 23 April 2006 and was completed four years later in 2010. For the next three years, the border upazilas of Parshuram, Fulgazi, and Chhagalnaiya remained free of flooding. But in 2013, due to heavy rainfall and upstream flows, embankments along the three rivers began to erode again in three locations. The worst damage came during last year’s flood.  

According to WDB sources in Feni, last year’s floods damaged embankments in 99 locations. Some breaches were as wide as 500 metres, others 300 metres. Altogether, around 8 to 10 kms of embankment were destroyed. After the floodwaters receded, Tk 190 million was spent repairing the damaged embankments. From 2018 to 2023, 95 spots were repaired at a cost of Tk 99 million.  

However, Feni WDB executive engineer Md Akter Hossain Mazumder denied that previously repaired sections broke again this year. He claimed, “The areas that were damaged last year did not break this time. The 20 new breaches occurred in different locations.”

He added that the embankments are entirely made of earth. Once the new project is implemented, Feni will have sustainable embankments, and river dredging will be carried out as well. The project is currently awaiting government approval.  

Locals contradict the statement made by Engineer Akter Hossain Mazumder, reporting that many of the areas repaired last year have indeed collapsed again. As of Friday, at least four such locations had been identified.

According to locals, the same sections of embankment that collapsed in last year’s floods have broken again this year—particularly in Shonirhat of Srichandrapur village in GM Hat Union (Fulgazi upazila), Manipur village in Mirzanagar Union, Paschim Aloka village in Citholia Union, and Sahapara in the Parshuram pourasava area.  

Local resident Mohammad Morshed told Prothom Alo, “The same portion of the embankment in Shonirhat that broke last year has broken again this time. The repairs done were not sustainable—just patchwork.”

Another local, Abu Yusuf, said that the section of the Silonia River embankment in Manipur that broke last year has collapsed again. MA Hasan, a resident of Paschim Aloka village in Citholia Union, confirmed that the section of the Muhuri River embankment that broke last year has again collapsed, along with two new breaches in the area.  

According to the district administration, 12 breaches occurred in Parshuram upazila and 8 in Fulgazi during the current flood. Field visits and conversations with locals revealed that the Muhuri River’s right bank breached in two locations at Derpara, one breach occurred in Sripur, and others were reported at North and South Daulatpur along the right bank of the Kahua River. The Silonia River’s left bank broke at Komua and Taralia. In total, at least 20 breaches were identified.  

Locals noted that vegetation along the embankments caused burrows in the earth. Water seeping into these holes weakened the structures, and the pressure from rising water eventually caused the embankments to collapse.  

Mohammad Nur Nabi, a tea stall owner from Napitkona in North Sripur village (Fulgazi), saw his home washed away into the Muhuri River on Wednesday evening. When Prothom Alo visited the village on Friday, some areas had knee-deep water, while others had water up to the chest. A 40-meter section of embankment had collapsed, flooding the entire village. 

In August last year, all unions in six upazilas of Feni went underwater. Village after village, field after field, was submerged. Neighbouring Noakhali faced similar devastation.

A report by the international charity Oxfam Bangladesh stated that over 90 per cent of the population in the two districts was severely affected by the floods that began on 20 August. About 48 per cent of houses were destroyed. Sanitation systems and access to clean water were entirely disrupted. 

A separate report by the Feni district administration noted that 29 people lost their lives in last year’s catastrophic flood. Over one million people were marooned. Roads, schools, vehicles, homes, and businesses—virtually all sectors—were affected. The total estimated loss stood at over Tk 26.86 billion (Tk 2,686 crore).

Sudip Kumar Pal, professor of civil engineering at Chittagong University of Engineering and Technology (CUET), believes that proper repairs after last year’s floods could have prevented this year’s breaches.

Speaking to Prothom Alo, he said, “Water flow in Feni’s rivers is being obstructed. Aside from last year, the area hadn’t seen serious flooding in years. This allowed structures to be built close to the riverbanks, narrowing the natural flow path. The embankments are old, and the repairs have not been adequate. That’s why they’re collapsing under pressure from the water.” 

Sudip Kumar Pal recommends that rivers be dredged and deepened, and that rubber dams or concrete blocks be used instead of soil. “A long-term solution is now essential, based on thorough analysis and planning,” he said. 

*Reported with information from Nazmul Haque, Feni correspondent