FENI, Aug 7: At least seven villages were inundated due to breaching at three vital points of the Muhuri River in the district on Monday.
Flood water is entering localities at a high speed, submerging educational institutions and bazaars.
The breaching to the embankment occurred in Sadar Upazila's Uttar Boroiya and Uttar Daulatpur areas and in Aloka area of Porshurampur Upazila. Through these three breached points, water is moving towards localities.
At present, the river is flowing above 110 centimetre of the danger mark at Porshuram point Usually, Feni bordering Fulgazi and Porshuram upazilas get exposed to such flooding every year. Locals become victims of the erosion. In the absence of sustainable embankment, living houses, croplands, roads and culverts get destroyed. It happened this year too.
Sources at Water Development Board (WDB)-Feni said, the construction of a sustainable embankment will begin soon.
The inundation occurred because of non-stop raining for the last few days and hilly tide from the upstream of India, causing rapid swelling to the Muhuri River.
Six villages were inundated due to breaking at Uttar Boroira and Uttar Daulatpour villages under Fulgazi Sadar Union. Another village was flooded due to the breaking in Alaka area of the embankment in Porshurampur Upazila.
In these seven villages, 15,000 people have been marooned. Several more points of the 122-kilometre embankment have been under threat. Hundreds of families and thousands of people living along the adjacent areas of the embankment are in fear of becoming victims of the flood-caused erosion.
According to local people, the embankment breaking happened on Monday, and they tried to prevent it by dropping trees and soil. But it could not be tackled. The flood water started to enter localities in a stronger speed, inundating seven villages including Uttar Boroiya, Banik Para, Bijoypur, Kismat Bijoypur, Basantapur, and Jagatpur.
A total of 70 hectares (ha) of T-Aman and 3-ha Aman seedbeds were submerged.
A local dweller Bijoy Kumar said, "With downpour and river swelling yearly, the erosion occurs, causing untold sufferings to the people of these two bordering upazilas. At that time, the local administration comes to us with some relief assistance, which does not do any help to us. What we want is permanent repairing of the Muhuri flood control embankment."
Sub-Divisional Engineer of the WDB-Feni Arifur Rshman Bhuiyan said, after experimentation, a project of Tk 731 crore will begin soon to construct sustainable embankment.
With a little recession of water in local rivers, the broken parts of the embankment will be repaired, the WDB sources said.
Sub-Assistant Agriculture Officer of Fulgazi Upazila KHM Manjurul Islam said, this flood has submerged about 120 ha of T-Aman fields in Fulgazi and Porshuram upazilas while about 10 ha of seedbeds have been under water. Also vegetable farms have gone under water, he added.
He further said, damages are yet to be estimated because of water.
Deputy Commissioner (DC) Shahina Aktar said, "I have inspected flooded areas. Initially, I have allocated Tk 2 lakh and 3.5 tonnes of rice for flood-affected people. Dry food has been arranged for marooned people."
Due measures will be taken in the next course after coordinating with different departments, the DC maintained.
