The New Nation - Internet Edition

Our Correspondent, Barisal

Sufficient funds needed for repair, reconstruction and renovation of devastating hurricane Sidr damaged and destroyed flood and water control structures and prevention of saline water infiltration yet not placed in affected southern region.

However experts emphasised on implementation of both immediate short term and sustainable long term projects to avoid post disaster losses.

The official sources of Water Development Board said recently International Development Agency (IDA) sanctioned 184-crore taka for this work. From this amount Tk.122 would be spent for basic structural development and rest 62 crore taka would be spent for office management, survey, design and other works, said Engineer Humaun Kabir, additional chief engineer of planning circle of WDB. Dr. Md. Abu Taher Khandokar, chief engineer of WDB for southern region, said primarily we stressed on stopping infiltration of saline water inside the crop filed though destroyed or damaged flood and water control structures. All operation and maintenance units of WDB ordered to be alert and prepared for taking emergency steps to avoid after disaster affects of natural calamities like hurricane Sidr in cultivation sectors, he added. Gazi Salam, a farmer of Sundra Kalikapur village under Mirzagonj Upazila in Patuakhali district said, 'My 2 acres of land was damaged. We will try to recover the loss during the coming Aman."

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

'We have no need of relief but we demand steps to repair dam that we can cultivate our land during the plantation season,' farmer Shajahan Howlader of Agunmukha River Bank of Patuakhali district added.

In a primary assessment it was estimated that Tk. 2000 cores including Tk.700 core for damaged and destroyed embankment Would be needed for this work. The assessment report sent by local officials of Water Development Board to water resources ministry said that about 300 kilometers long embankment including flood and water control structures destroyed and about 2000 kilometers long embankment have been damaged by hurricane Sidr in coastal and southern belt.

This assessment included 166 kilometers and 311 establishment destroyed and 1300 kilometers and 411 establishments related with embankments damaged embankments and in Barisal, Patuakhali, Barguna, Bhola, Jhalakati, Pirojpur and Bagerhut districts. Besides 75 kilometers irrigation canals and 14 kilometers branch canals also damaged by Sidr in this region.

Water Development Board sources said the then Pakistan government took a project with financial assistances from United States of America government to construct embankment locally known as Bhery Bandh in coastal region at the cost of 38.60 core taka in 1960-61. The forty core taka project was named as ' coastal flood control dam' and ended in 1979-80 fiscal after constructing about one thousand kilometers long embankments, 177 drainage sluice, 320 flopping sluice, 272 river closer and 188 dispense shed and related structures and establishments in coastal region. By implementing this project 6 lakhs acres of land in coastal areas were saved from tidal bore, flood and salinity and came under irrigation schemes in coastal belts.

After success of that project Water Development Board constructed more hundreds of kilometers of embankments in different regions of coastal districts.

District offices with executive and sub divisional engineers were opened under Barisal, Bhola, and Chittagong and Khulna circles of WDB for maintenances and supervision of these embankments.

However Tk.4 core fund for maintenances of those structure were not placed timely and properly and so condition of those became dilapidated in course of time.

Barisal office of WDB failed to give current and correct information and data about the total lengths of constructed embankment and its existence after damaged and washed away by river erosions in different areas of the region since starting of the project. The damages may exceed Tk.1000 cores after starting repairing and reconstruction as labor and material costing increasing day by day and delay in replacing funds and completing works only increase salinity and other damages in the affected areas, the sources added.