Khoyai embankment breach leaves 5,000 people waterlogged in Habiganj
The authorities have allocated 10 metric tonnes of rice for the flood-affected people.
A second breach in the flood protection embankment along the Khoyai River has inundated large areas of Sadar upazila in Habiganj district, leaving around 5,000 people stranded.
The breach developed at Kaliganj in the upazila yesterday (23 August) afternoon after water from upstream of India caused the Khoyai River to rise 178 centimetres above its danger level.
Officials of the district Disaster Management Office said around 4,000 people in Laskarpur Union have been affected by the flooding.
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Three shelter centres have been kept ready in the affected areas, with several families already taking refuge there.
Besides the standing Aush and transplanted Aman crops, seedbeds and vegetables were also submerged due to the flash flood.
The authorities have allocated 10 metric tonnes of rice for the flood-affected people.
According to the Department of Agricultural Extension (DAE), around 125 hectares of standing Aush paddy, 95 hectares of transplanted Aman, 22 hectares of Aman seedbeds and 25 hectares of vegetables have been submerged.
The latest breach occurred at the same location where the embankment broke on July 9, flooding three unions in Habiganj Sadar and Bahubal upazilas.
The Bangladesh Water Development Board (BWDB) has been carrying out repair work on the embankment at a cost of Tk88 lakh.
Officials said around Tk30 lakh had already been spent on the work before the latest breach.
Habiganj-3 MP GK Gaus visited the site on Sunday morning to inspect the repair work. During the visit, he expressed dissatisfaction with the quality of the work and raised concerns about its durability.
As of this afternoon (24 August), the Khoyai River was flowing 12 centimetres below the danger level.
