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Residences of St. Martin’s Island face erosion risk


Published : 17 Aug 2022 09:01 PM

The sea has become rough these few days due to the low pressure in the Bay of Bengal. Cox's Bazar beach in Saint Martin is also affected by the tide. About two kilometers of beaches on the north-east and west sides of St. Martin have been eroded by storms over the past four days. A large number of hotels, motels and people's homes are at risk.

Mujibur Rahman, chairman of Saint Martin Island, said that in the last 9 days, low pressure has formed twice in the Bay of Bengal. Due to its effect, the sea has also become turbulent. Being a floating island in the Bay of Bengal, the tidal currents hit the east-north, west side of the island more. Already one and a half to two kilometers of beach has been broken. More than half a hundred coconut trees have been uprooted. 60 hotels, motels, 400 homesteads and other structures may disappear if a permanent embankment is not constructed with stone ccblocks on an urgent basis before the monsoon.

Now some hotels, some houses are being flooded by tidal water.

Local representatives and hotel owners said that efforts are being made to prevent erosion by throwing sand-filled geo tubes and sacks to protect assets from the raging sea. But the tide is also breaking. Geo tube dams will not be found if the ocean swells during monsoons or cyclone-swell strikes. Then a large part of the island, including hotels and restaurants, may sink under the sea. At present 126 hotel-cottages have been built in St. Martin. Local hotel owners said that such a storm of sea tide has not been seen in the last seven-eight years. But since last year the height of sea tide is increasing. Due to climate change the sea level is increasing rapidly.

Abdul Nabi, a resident of West Para, said that the damage to Tandbe Island in the sea may increase. We don't want relief from the government, we want a permanent embankment.

Tanzir Saif Ahmed, Executive Engineer of Water Development Board Cox's Bazar said that the sea has been rough for eight-nine days due to the effect of two low pressures created in the Bay of Bengal, but the boundaries of hotels and motels along with St. Martin's Beach have disappeared, but the town has nothing to do in this regard. The executive engineer said, earlier there was a plan to build a dam in St. Martin. But many people have started criticizing the construction of the embankment. As a result, the Water Development Board has withdrawn from the plan to build a dam around the island of St. Martin.