Parts of Rajshahi City Protection Embankment turned vulnerable due to on rush of water during the full-monsoon last year. Concrete blocks of the embankment have been loosened and removed from some areas. Last year, the vulnerable parts of the embankment was repaired somehow by dumping sand-bags but even during the dry season, no measure has so far been taken to repair or renovate the damaged embankment sites.
As a result, Nawabganj Ghosepara areas of embankment under Rajshahi city areas remained vulnerable to be erosion during the next rainy season. At the same time, Sreerampore areas of the city are also under the risk of erosion during the next monsoon. According to sources, Water Development Board has not yet taken any measure to repair or renovate the damaged sites of the city embankment.
As a result, a huge number of people living beside the river are worried to loss their dwellings during the next rainy season. As a result, people of the areas have demanded to repair the embankment sites before the advent of the monsoon. Eye witness sources mentioned, many parts of the city protection embankment stretching from Police Line to the west side of Nawabganj Ghosepara, Kasobpur and Goalpara have been damaged badly.
Nearly 1,500 families live in the damaged embankment areas. The concrete blocks of the embankment have been removed and in many places sacks of sand have been dumped to keep those blocks steady. Most of the houses or slums remained vulnerable to erosion as those are built on or beside the embankment.
Asgar Ali, a local resident informed, the sacks of sand are dumped at the erosion hit areas while the river remained turbulent with full of water but those are not repaired during the dry season.
Sreerampore area adjacent to the T-embankment is also remained vulnerable due to erosion. On Decemeber 21 last year local MP Fazley Hossain Badsha visited the damaged part of Sreerampore while local resident Asoke Roy and pradip Roy informed, part of their houses had been eroded during the full monsoon and if the embankment is not repaired fully during the dry season, the rest of their house might be devoured in river water during the next monsoon.
MP Fazley Hossain Badsha assured them to take necessary action in this connection and instructed the local officials of Water Development Board to take measure immediately. Kohinoor Alam, Executive Engineer of Water Development Board in Rajshahi informed, a project to repair vulnerable parts of the city protection embankment has been sent to the concerned ministry for approval.