A decade on after Sidr: Damaged dams yet to be repaired

Embankments damaged in Sidr a decade ago have not been repaired to protect the residents of the southern coastal areas from water surge.

In many areas, the construction work for the embankments started a long time ago but has still not been completed, adding sufferings and uncertainties to the lives of the coastal residents of Barguna and Bagerhat.

The severe cyclonic storm killed over 1,000 people, rendered thousands of others homeless and destroyed infrastructure on Nov 15, 2007.

The residents of the areas are still bearing the brunt of Cyclone Sidr that killed more than 800 people of Bogi, Gabtola and Southkhali villages under Bagerhat’s Sarankhola Upazila adjacent to the Sundarbans.

The Baleshwar and Bhola rivers flow over Sarankhola Upazila. The population of the upazila is about 160,000. The main source of income for the people of the region is the Sundarbans, sea, river and canal fish.

"After Sidr, we were delighted to know that the government took steps to build a dam to protect us from the tide. But the construction work has not been completed yet. We don't want any more relief,” said Mujibur Rahman Howlader, a shopkeeper in the Bogi port on the bank of Baleshwar.

Local journalist Ismail Hossain Liton told bdnews24.com that many people died in the Upazila as during high tide by Sidr, water entered through the breaches on the embankment.”

“As a result, the residents are worried once they hear any news of a disaster. The recent Cyclone Bulbul scared them.”

Southkhali Union Council Chairman Mozammel Hossain said people demanded of the administration to construct a 62 kilometres embankment along the Baleshwar and Bhairab rivers.

Later, the government took steps to meet the demand, he added.

Construction of the barrage started on Jan 23, 2016 and was expected to complete by June this year. More than 40 percent of the project has been completed, according to the local representative.

Ashraful Alam, executive engineer of the Coastal Embankment Development Project or CEIP, said a 62 km stretch of the 35/1 polder in the Sharankhola Upazila is being constructed with the World Bank’s fund.

The Tk 6.96 billion project funded by the World Bank is expected to be completed by June 2020, he said adding, "If it is built, local residents will be protected from the storm surge."

More than 38km stretch of the embankment had been damaged by the storm, said Deputy Commissioner Mostaine Billah.

Asked why the damaged embankments in the district have not been repaired yet, he said, “The dams could not be repaired due to the fund crisis. Rebuilding is not possible with the fund allotted so far. ”