ATRAI, NAOGAON, July 27: The flood-affected people in Atrai Upazila of the district demanded construction of a permanent dam to check the erosion by the Chhota Jamuna and the Atrai rivers.
The two rivers are flooding new areas as the water is entering through the broken points of the dam.
Locals complained that vast lands in the low-lying areas of the upazila are flooded every year for unplanned river dredging and construction of dam and sluice gate. So, thousands of people suffer in the rainy season.
In these circumstances, flood victims and others demanded permanent solution to the problems.
Sources at Bangladesh Water Development Board (BWDB) said, about 200 villages have already been inundated due to erosion of the rivers and damage of dam. Four points of the Atrai River, two roads in Atrai Upazila and one dam have been broken.
These villages are located in Atrai, Raninagar and Manda upazilas of Naogaon, Bagmara Upazila of Rajshahi District, and Naldanga and Singra upazilas of Natore District. Over 2 lakh people in 20 unions of these six upazilas have been marooned.
BWDB sources said, as the water is receding, the damages will also reduce.
In these areas, about 8,000 hectares of land have been submerged, and fishes of hundreds of ponds have been washed away.
Atrai Upazila Agriculture Officer KM Kawser Hossain said different crops in total 2,077 ha of lands have been damaged.
Flood victims have taken shelter on high grounds, roads, dam and shelter centres. Some others are staying on boats.
Besides the crises of food, drinking water and fodder, different water-borne diseases have broken out in the flood-hit areas.
All communications through different regional roads, including Manda-Atrai, Bandaikhara-Atari, and Natore-Singra-Atrai have been disrupted.
Many victims including Rafiq Uddin of Baloramchawk Village said they cannot understand what they will do now. They have been affected both by the corona and the flood.
Atrai Upazila Fisheries Officer Palash Chandra Debnath said the tidal water coming from the upstream damaged the flood protection dams of Atrai, Fokinni and Chhota Jamuna rivers. As a result, fishes worth about Tk 21 crore of 270 ponds in 280 hectares of land belonging to 110 farmers in the upazila have been washed away.
Executive Engineer of Naogaon BWDB Arifuzzaman Khan said they are repairing the eroded points of the dams through piling with bamboos and by dumping geo-bags.
He expected that the water will not enter the localities from now on.
Upazila Nirbahi Officer Md Sanaul Islam said in the north of Ahsanganj Haat, the dam was broken in Boithakhali and Panchupur areas, and 14,000 families in 50 villages of eight unions have been marooned. More than 100 families have taken shelter in Ahsan Ullah Memorial Government High School, Atrai High School, Atrai Pilot High School, Panchupur High School, Atrai Pilot Girls School and Pathailjhara and Boloramchawk Government Primary Schools.
He also said they have already distributed dry food and rice as relief to about 2,000 families by boat.
