Due to a rush of turbulent water from across the border, the water level of the Atrai River is increasing rapidly. The water is now flowing now only 40 Centimeter below danger mark and it is apprehended it would cross the danger limit any time.
Meanwhile, due to increase in water level, a rush of water is entering the houses and villages by breaching the old cross-dam at three points making more than 100 families of the surrounding villages water-logged. People living in villages beside the river have become panicky because of the approaching flood.
According to Water Development Board sources, the water of the Atrai River has been increasing continuously for the last couple of weeks. However, the water level suddenly rose due to the onrush of water from the hill region across the border from last Friday.
The water of the river recorded a 70-centimetre rise during the last 24-hour period. If the water continues to increase at such rate, the river water would cross the danger level within the next one or two days.
It is learnt that the the cross-dam along the river from Par Nurualla Badh village of Nurullahbadh union and Chalkrampur and Koilabari village under Bishnupur union was breached after the devastating flood in 2017. These breached portions of the embankment have not yet been repaired. As a result, with the increase of water in the river, water entered through these breached parts inundating crops, vegetables, fields and villages. At least 500 families of surrounding villages have been suffering due to water-logging caused by the flash flood and increase of water level in the river.
People living in villages beside the river informed they live in panic of flood throughout the rainy season. During this season, most of the people spent a sleepless night watching the movement of the current of river water. In phases, they themselves work as watchers to guard the flood control embankment. They work voluntarily to save their crops and houses from the grip of flood.
Ibrahim Hossain of Chalkrampur village informed, two points of the cross-dam were breached during the flood in 2017. People of the affected villages appealed to the concerned departments several times to repair the damaged parts of the dam but there was no result. Those two breached points are wide open and whenever the water level of the river increases, water enters inside villages and crops fields inundating those.
Abdul Jabbar of Bonkura village informed that the flood control embankment at the right side of the river Atrai has not been repaired for a long time. As a result, the embankment has been given up in several points. People living in villages near the embankment remained always panicky with the increase of water level of the river and they spent a sleepless night during the rainy season.
Arifuzzaman Khan, Executive Engineer of WDB, Naogaon informed the water level of the Atrai River is increasing due to continuous rainfall and the onrush of water from upstream.
The water level would cross the danger mark any time if such rainfall continues. As a result the main flood control embankment on both sides of the river and some parts of the cross dam would collapse or become vulnerable. He further mentioned, the works of monitoring the vulnerable embankment are continuing and WDB is prepared to face and control the flood.
