300 families marooned as embankment collapses in Bagerhat

A flood protection embankment along the Bhairab River at Bhadrapara in Sadar upazila was washed away by the tidal surges on Friday, rendering 300 families of three villages trapped, reports UNB.

A vast portion of Bhadrapara, Boitpur and Bemorta villages have been flooded with fish of 20-25 enclosures washed away. The residents of the three villages demanded immediate steps to repair the collapsed embankment.

Mashiur Rahman Badsha, owner of a fish enclosure at Bhadrapara village, said his fish enclosure was completely flooded after the flood protection embankment collapsed in the afternoon and all the fishes in the enclosure were washed away causing him loss of Tk 1 million.

Alamgir Hossain, a resident of the village said, “We are suffering a lot as all the houses are flooded. We don’t even have any way to cook as everything is submerged under water at the moment.”

Md Masum Billah, executive engineer of local Water Development Board, said Dartana and Bhairab rivers were flowing 12 cm above their danger marks while the water level of different canals and water bodies also increased.

“We have been informed that several low-lying areas of different villages have been flooded and immediate initiatives will be taken to build a ring dam after the recession of the tidal water.