Cracks in dam flood 12 villages
Quazi Amanullah, Khulna
Twelve villages in Batiaghata upazila, Khulna, have been reeling under four feet water since Friday, as breaches opened in the Kazibacha river embankment because of high tide. The raging waters washed away a large number of shrimp and other fish farms, damaged crops on over 1,000 acres and forced about 25,000 people from their homes, Water Development Board sources said yesterday. Schools and colleges have closed and commutes through the Khulna-Dakop Road have snapped. Despite efforts by locals and Water and Power Development Authority (Wapda), the onrush of water through the breaches could not be checked until yesterday. Work has become all but difficult for the upazila headquarters and the Batiaghata Police Station as water swamped the buildings. Batiaghata Sadar, Hetalbunia, Kismat Phultala, Hatbati, Bashirabad, Maitbhanga and Balabunia are the worst hit areas where relief is yet to reach. The situation turned alarming and starvation threatens to strike the affected villages, said Panchanan Biswas, local lawmaker. The gushing water, if not checked urgently, may wipe out many villages, said Wapda Engineer Sharif Al Kamal.
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A villager yesterday brings hay to feed livestock stranded on higher ground after the Kazibacha waters submerged 12 villages in Batiaghata, Khulna. Photo: STAR |
