On the banks of the Baleshwar, fear of displacement grips inhabitants
UNB: The threat of a cyclonic storm and the tidal surges that often accompany it causes great trepidation among the people inhabiting the banks of the Baleshwar River in coastal district Bagerhat, mainly due to the lack of a durable embankment and the indelible experience of Cyclone Sidr in 2007.
Cyclone Fani on May 4 this year also forced the people to evacuate choosing life over property but in the end its reduced intensity allowed most of them to return to their homes.
The Baleshwar River still broke its banks in three spots– Bogi, Southkhali and Chaltebunia — inundating villages in the area. Those who still live by its banks thus pass their nights in fear any time a cyclone signal is raised.
Now almost 12 years have passed after Sidr hit the coastal region, but the people haven’t seen any progress towards building a durable embankment in Bagerhat.
Visiting the area, our correspondent found that temporary repairs were made to the embankment in Boga and Satghor after Fani passed. But the people of the area have grown frustrated with these temporary works that can give away any time, and so they expressed their disappointment that their misery will never end. The terrifying Sidr hit on November 15, 2007, triggering 15-16 foot tall tidal waves that destroyed the embankment and submerged numerous villages.
The official death toll was eventually raised to 3,447, but thousands also remained missing, who can now be presumed dead.
People of Sharankhola raised a slogan then, “We don’t want relief but a durable embankment on Baleshwar River”.
Local sources said, the construction of 62 kilometer durable embankment at Polder Number 35/1 in Sharankhola area began in 2016 with World Bank funding.
The construction was supposed to end by January, 2019 but was halted as the contractor asked for more time till June, 2020.