LIVING near a river in Bangladesh is a risky business. Rivers like Jamuna not only are sources of floods, but also can wipe out village after village.

As Jamuna has remained untamed. residents of Gaibandha. Sirajganj. Bogra and some other neighbouring districts live in constant threat of losing their homes.

Jamuna, one of three largest rivers of the country, has been a headache for the government as it devours huge arable lands, rural infrastructures and other establishments, including villages and towns., every vear.

In a bid t<) try's rivers, including the Jamuna, the government launched a gigantic programme, "Riverbank Protection Project ", in 1995-96 fiscal year.

To implement the ambitious project, the government sought financial assistance from the International Development Agency (IDA), an window of the World Bank.

The Bank responded quickly. It agreed to help the government implement the Tk 708.08 crore project, promising to provide Tk 471.32 crore, officials told the News Network.

Earlier in 1963-65, the government with help from USAID constructed a 220-km flood protection embankment from Kawnia to Bera as a vast track of land in northern districts, especially Gaibandha. Sirajganj and Bogra. used to be flooded every year in rainy season.

With the construction of the embankment, some 2,30,000 hectares of lands in greater Rangpur, Bogra and Pabna districts got protection from flood waters. But it was not enough to protect the people from the fury of the mighty Jamuna. It always ran towards west, washing out its bank.

The Embankment was built to protect the banks from erosion during 1978-85 period with help from USAID and WB. So far. some 180 km areas of the embankment has been repaired. In some places reconstruction works had been done one to seven times.

Some 60,000 hectares of cultivable land, houses and other infrastructures have so far disappeared into the gorge of Jamuna.

Besides, continued erosion could be a cause of concern for Bangabandhu Bridge over Jamuna. Officials feared that the unification of the rivers would also put the bridge at stake, snapping road communication during the rainy season.

In a bid to avert the possible disaster, the government has undertaken a master plan. As per the contract with the World Bank, Bangladesh Water Development Board (BWDB) recruited an international Adviser for Brahmaputra River Training Studies (BRTS).

The adviser has been entrusted with some responsibilities, including formation of a long-term master plan and identifying the erosion-hit ar-

eas on priority basis, protective measures and preparing a design of the River Bank Protection Project.

The adviser submitted the Master Plan in 1994 identifying 17 severe erosion-hit areas with a recommendation that 10 of 17 erosion-hit areas should be brought under the RBPP immediately. He also prepared a design for priority construction of groyne in six places.

The 10 areas recommended for bringing under RBPP are Kamariani, Fulchhari, Hatse-rpur-Hasnarpar, Sariakandi. Mothurapara. Chandanbaisa. Kazipur. Simla-Soilabari. Sirajganj and Betil-Jalalpur.

"the six places suggested for construction of groyne are: Fulchhari. Sariakandi, Mothurapara, Kazipur. Sirajganj and Betil-Jalalpur.

As per suggestions and recommendations of the foreign adviser, the government with help from IDA embarked on a two-phase programme to construct hard points at Sariakandi. Mothurapara and Sirajganj.

The project works under £hase-A include construction of ard points at Sariakandi and Mothurapara. rehabilitation of Kalitola Groyne, construction of a link road between Kalitola and Mothurapara via

Sariakandi.

Total cost of the project was fixed at Tk 708.08 crore, of which the government was supposed to contribute Tk 236.76 crore while the IDA Tk 471.32 crore. Finally, the project works kicked off in 1995-96 fiscal, stipulating the time to complete the project by 1999-2000 fiscal.

Bangladesh Water development Board (BWDB) is implementing the project under the supervision of Sir William Halcrow and Partners Ltd. UK and local Engineering and Planning Construction Ltd. Major civil works of the project have been handed over to Hyundai-Jan-De-Nul JV of South Korea and Belgium.

Main objectives of the project are to prevent non-stop erosion along western bank of the rivers Brahmaputra-Jamuna and protect some important areas like Sirajganj, Sariakandi and Mothurapara. and infrastructure, roads and highways and arable lands and building up habitats by protecting the riverbank.

The salient features of the project are given in the table.

Project description: Phase-A — The major components of the project are Kalitola Groyne and Sariakandi and Mothurapara hard points; all three comprise

revetment of concrete blocks laid over a layer of geotextile on prepared river bank slope. Cutter suction dredger was used to prepare the underwater slope, which was excavated at a slope of 1:3.5 to a maximum depth of 13.0 metre below the lbw water level.

The project work on Phase-A has, in fact, been completed, except the connecting road between Mothurapara and Kalitala. Construction work of the link road has started and is expected to be finished soon.

Construction of hard point under Phase-B at Sirajganj is going on while that of the remaining 10 places will be carried out in phases.

Jabbar Pramanik (35), a vanpuller, once had acres of cultivable land and a sprawling house Just four years back. But the hungry Jamuna has devoured all his property, leaving him homeless. Now he resides alongside the Flood Protection Embankment on the bank Jamuna.

When asked about the impact of the project, a beaming Jabbar told the News Network Correspondent. "It has come as blessings of Allah."

Local people expect that upon completion of the proposed hard points in Sariakandi and Mothurapara areas, and rehabilitation of Kalitala groyne river erosion would come to an end.

Jabbar gets a nod from his neighbours Shah Jamal, 30. Soibar Molla. 50, Tamij Uddin, 35. and his wife Sobeda Begum. 25. who said: We all are illiterates. even then we can realise that it will help check bankerosion in the places where hard points and groynes have been constructed."

They continued: 'We all had lands and dwelling houses, but

the mighty river has rendered us homeless. Now we are happy ... may be we won’t have to leave this place."

Executive Engineers of the Project Phase-A Shamsul Alam Talukder and Abdur Noor of

Phase-B said construction of hard points in Sariakandi and Mothurapara area, and rehabilitation of Kalitola groyne have protected the entire Bogra district from the prolonged flood in 1998.

"Had not the project been completed in time. Jamuna and Bangali rivers would have emerged into a single flow engulfing the entire district." the two engineers said.

—News Network