Ratnagheri village in Uttar Bedkashi Union of Koyra Upazila of Khulna. The Shakbaria River flows past the village. On the other side stands the lush green Sundarbans. People across the river live in fear of the roar of the river waves and tides. The only hope for the residents of the area now is a single-layer earthen embankment. And a new wall built by hand on that embankment.
One recent morning, Arvind Kumar was walking along the narrow path above the muddy embankment, carrying a shopping bag. He was carefully stepping into the mud with his shirt rolled up in one hand. As he approached, he smiled and said, “Brother, the river is no longer as calm as it used to be. The tidal water is overflowing the embankment and wants to enter the village. Once it enters, all the houses will be destroyed. That’s why we ourselves have built a wall on this embankment so that no one else can see it.”
The people of Ratnagheri built this wall to protect themselves from the tidal waters. The villagers cut the soil from the river bank on the embankment for about a kilometer, and built the wall with baskets and spades. Standing on the banks of the Shakbaria river, Abhijit Mahaldar, president of the Patharkhali Milni Jubo Sangha, said that the wall was about to be built.
Abhijit said, “This place is very low. As soon as the tide rises a little, the water overflows the dam. So recently, more than two hundred young men and women from the village, together with us, have been volunteering to cut soil, pull sacks, and build a wall on the dam. Most of the people in our village are daily wage laborers. If we don’t work for a day, the fire in the stove won’t light. Still, everyone took up a spade to work that day, giving up their earnings. Some cut soil, some filled it in sacks, and some put it on the wall. Because we know how hard it is when the dam breaks.”
This scene from Ratnagheri is actually a reflection of Koyra Upazila. Wherever you go in Koyra, Maheshwaripur, Nayani, Baburabad, Chowkuni, Tentultalar Char, Mathbari, Hayatkhali, you can see new earthen walls built on the embankment. The embankments built in the 1960s can no longer handle the tidal water. The riverbed has been filled with silt, chars have emerged. The dam overflows and water flows into the villages.
Anupam Kumar of Maheshwaripur said, “Ten years ago, there was 70-80 feet of water in this river during high tide. Now there is 25-30 feet of silt. The more the river bed fills up, the higher the water rises during high tide. The dam overflows and water enters. So they have built walls by lifting soil themselves.”
Standing on the banks of the Shakbaria River in North Bedkashi, local resident Ariful Islam said, “The water of the Ganges rises so high with every tide that it makes my heart pound. Earlier, the water would rise halfway up the dam during high tide, but now it rises to the brim. That’s why we are building a wall, otherwise the village would have been submerged.”
Earthen walls have been built on embankments in Maheshwaripur, Nayani, Baburabad, Chowkuni, Tentultalar Char, Mathbari, Hayatkhali areas of Koyra.Photo Prothom Alo
Shahnewaz Shikari, chairman of Maheshwaripur Union Parishad in Koyra, said, “We can’t continue with the 1960s dam. How many times have we told Paubo that nothing will happen? So people themselves have taken up spades and built walls.”
Saiful Islam, member secretary of the Coastal and Sundarbans Conservation Movement, believes that the height of the dam needs to be increased by at least 10 feet. He said, “After the 1990s, the rivers started filling up due to silt accumulation. After the 2007 Sidr, it took a terrible shape. As the rivers filled up, the dams can no longer take the pressure. If the height of the dam is not increased by at least 10 feet, the damage to the coast cannot be prevented.”
Khulna Water Development Board (PAUBO) Executive Engineer Ashraful Alam said that the risky embankment locations of Koyra have been identified. A budget has been sought for the repair of the embankment from Ratnagheri, Baburabad via Chaukuni to Tentultalar Char. It is expected to be approved soon. A contractor has also been appointed for the embankment work from Ratnagheri to Katkata in Uttar Bedkashi Union, and work will begin soon. There is also a plan to remove silt to restore the normal flow of the river.
Source; Prothom Alo
