Tapos Kanti Das . Khulna NewAge, June 7, 2009
Villagers in the southwest, still facing inundation because of tidal surges associated with cyclone Aila, were panicked as the flood water level suddenly rose by two feet on an average under the influence of full moon on Saturday.
According to locals and relief workers, the collapsed dams which were repaired by the locals again breached at No 2 Koyra, Padna, Patharkhali and Patakhali points under Koyra and Shyamnagar because of the sudden rise in water level.
‘Water is entering the villages overflowing the dams and at places the repaired portions of the dams breached again,’ Amjadul Islam, chairman of Padmapukur union council, said.
‘Most of the people have taken shelter on the high embankments and in the shelter houses and only a few were staying in their houses building platforms,’ he said. He also said he has asked the people living near the dams to move to safer places.
‘There is nobody in our village now. Our homesteads are inundated and we are worried as the dams breached again,’ said Shawkat Ali Sana of No 2 Koyra.
Koyra union council chairman HM Shahabuddin Ahmed said they were trying to repair the breached points.
A total of 594km embankment of the Water Development Board were damaged in Khulna including 90km in Koyra, 118km in Dacope, 200km in Paikgachha, 181km in Batiyaghata, 1km in Dumuria and 4km in Rupsa.
Meanwhile, waterborne diseases continued to spread in the inundated areas.
People were on rush for relief materials. It was raining almost everyday causing more sufferings to the people.
The Koyra upazila chairman, GM Mohsin Reza, told New Age that the people will not be able to survive if the dams were not repaired or reconstructed immediately.
