The New Nation - Internet Edition

Our Correspondent, Patuakhali

The repairing work of damaged flood control dam at Sidr-hit areas of seven upazilas in Patuakhali district has become uncertain as WDB (Water Development Board) has been allocated Tk 7.25 crore against demand for Taka 110 crore. With the poor allocation, the local authority started to repair 78 kilometres embankment and two sluice gets this year.

"We have submitted an emergency PP (Proposed Plan) of Tk 110 crore to the higher authority just after cyclone Sidr for repairing damaged embankment. But they sanctioned Tk 7.25 crore only in two separate installments i.e. Tk. 1.88 crore in 1st installment and Tk 5.37 crore in 2nd installment", "Md Zahir Uddin, Executive Engineer of Patuakhali WDB told this correspondent.

Yet with the amount, we have already taken step to repair 78 kilometres out of 645 km damaged embankment and two sluice gates. The repiar work is going on in full swing, he added.

According to WDB office in Patuakhali, 645 kilometres out of 1,209 kilometres flood control embankment were damaged by the cyclone SIDR on November 15 in 2007.

Of its 83 km was damaged completely while 562km partially. In addition, 355 out of 412 sluice gates, 612 inlets, 362 irrigation schemes and 24 closure were also damaged in the hurricane. There were damaged crops of 1.70 lakh hectares Gazi Salam, a farmer of Sundra Kalikapur village under Mirzagonj Upazila in the district said, 'My Aman paddy on 2 acres of land was damaged. We will try to recover the loss during the coming Aush."

Our agricultural land is being flooded by salty water rising from the nearby rivers as many parts of flood control dam on paieera river bank are yet to be repaired," Nuru Gazi, another farmer of same village said.

'We have no need of relief but we demand steps to repair dam that we can cultivate our land during the coming rainy season,' farmer Sajahan Howlader added.