OUR CORRESPONDENT,
Moulvibazar
The Koiyar Dhala sluice gate and its connecting road in Ajmriganj upazila of Habiganj remain without repairs even eight months after floods last year caused considerable damages to the structures.
As such, farmers of three upazilas of Habiganj are worried of potential flood damages to Boro paddy cultivation across thousands of hectares of croplands along the Kushiyara river in the haor areas.
Severe erosion left the sluice gate and connecting road damaged after Kushiyara overflowed and flooded the area along Ajmiriganj-Badalpur road on June 4 last year.
“We rely heavily on Boro cultivation for our livelihood. The cultivation is set to begin in just over a month. Without repairs to the sluice gate, our crop is at significant risk of flood damage during monsoon,” said Shadek Hosain, a local farmer.
Ashiq Mia, a farmer from Jalsukha village in Ajmiriganj, echoed him.
“If the sluice gate is not repaired within the next one month, we will face catastrophic losses, as water from the Kushiyara river will inundate the area and wash away our crops,” he said.
Moreover, if flood water breaches the sluice gate, croplands in Baniachong and Nabiganj upazilas will also face significant damage as the areas share the same river system.
Yusuf Ali and Sabuj Mia, farmers from Noagaon and Jalsukha villages, urged authorities concerned for urgent measures to repair the sluice gate and connecting road to prevent losses to the local farmers in the three upazilas.
The sluice gate was also previously damaged during floods in 2022, followed by poorly executed repairs, including removal of sand from riverbed instead of reinforcing the structure, which eventually led to further damages last year.
Contacted, Faridul Islam, executive engineer of Local Government Engineering Department in Habiganj, said, “I am not aware of the specifics of previous repair work, but this time the sluice gate’s structures will be reinforced. The contractor has been given strict instructions in this regard and also to complete the repair work promptly.”