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Town Protection Embankment

Delay in repair poses threat to life, properties

Nur Uddin Alamgir
Delay in repairing town protection embankment has been posing a great threat to life and properties at coastal belt of the port city.
Locals said as the massive work for repairing the damaged sites of the embankment is yet to start, the life and properties of f he coastal people will be under threat i n tins rainy season.
Local Ward Councillor Joynal Abedin said Water Development Board (WDB) has started die repair work two months ago, but slow' progress of die work would rather make the environment more vulnerable.
He said they suggested a WDB team to repair the most affected areas of Khenjurtala, Jele Para, Char Para and Ananda Bazar areas on priority basis to save it from major destruction.
He said if the authorities concerned fail to take measures before heavy rain, the situation may cause repetition of massive destruction the city dwellers witnessed on April 29,1991 during tidal upsurge following a severe cyclone.
"The repair work is going on at a snail's pace posing a great threat to nearby Karnaphuli Export Processing Zone (KEPZ), Chittagong Export Processing Zone (CEPZ) and the Shah Amanat International Airport as well," he said, adding that immediate action needed to protect the embankment through concrete blocks.
“After the 'Sidr' in November 2007 several cyclonic storms like Nargis, Bijli and Aila crossed the coastal belt weakening the embankment as there was no massive repair work after the'Sidr,' he said.
While visiting the embankment, this corre-spondent found that the most affected areas of Ananda Bazar, KhenjurTala, Jele Para and Char Para are yet to be repaired while the sea continues eating up the embankment.
Mohammad Nasir, a shopkeeper at Ananda Bazar, narrating his awful experiences said the water of the sea came very near during the recent cyclone Aila.
The work has been going on in a slow pace and work stands now on making some concrete blocks, he said, adding that authorities concerned should have done this works quickly to fend off casualty.
Mohammad Belal, a
fisherman at Jele Para, echoed Nasir saying that the sea got rough than the previous years resulting in a rise of the water level.
Seepage of saline water in the nearby locality has already been hampering the cultivation of the corps, Belal said.
Prof Shahadat Hossain of Chittagong University (CU) Institute of Marine Sciences and Fisheries said seepage of seawater in the locality will create environmental disaster making the coastal people environmental refugees.
"We have found that over the last 15 to 20 years the sea level has increased four to five feet which is a red signal
for the locality and a great concern for all as well.” said ProfShahadat.
"Breaches develop on the embankment during the rainy season and seepage of saline water through the cracks would threaten the biodiversity to a great extent,” he said.
Besides, the saline water will destroy the aquatic animals, micro-organisms and fertilityof the cropland,” he said, adding that the subsoil water will also be mixed with saline water that would not be usable.
Terming the afforestation 'natural barrier against natural disaster' he said there is no alternative to it
since many developed countries had to face problem constructing concrete embankment to protect land from thesea.
Sources in the WDB said 20 points of the 21.70 kilometre embankment stretch-ing from city's Naval Academy to Fouzdarhat coastal area under Sitakunda Upazila have developed breaches and weakened due to repeated upsurges during depressions in the sea.
Repair, work of the embankment has started at a cost of Tk 2.50 crore on April 1 after floating tenders for thrice for the work.
When contacted WDB
Executive Engineer Aman Ullah toldThe Daily Star that the ADB. which is financing the repairing work, delayed in work permit which took time to start it.
“Recent attack of cyclone Aila also hampered the work and we are repairing the affected areas on priority basis since the project is scheduled to be ended in December," he said.
“If the Chittagong Development Authority (CDA) constructs the proposed four-lane Chittagong Outer Ring Road by 2011-2012, massive work will be conducted over the embankment," Aman Ullah informed.