SEVERAL villages came to be submerged in Feni after several days of heavy rainfall and the onrush of water from the upstream that breached river embankments at night on June 19. Embankments have breached along the River Muhuri at Phulgazi and along the River Silonia at Parashuram in the district, as the Water Development Board says. Flood water is reported to have receded before the next morning, but areas remained under water, causing sufferings to people. The situation has stopped some from cooking their meal. Whilst the embankment along the Silonia breached after the water had overflowed, the embankment along the Muhuri breached, with river height still remaining, as reports say, below the danger mark. What is concerning about this is that June 20 Met Office forecast says that the ongoing spell of heavy to very heavy rainfall could continue until June 24 and the situation could worsen, putting more people at risk. Embankments along the rivers in the district breached at a significant number of places in the 2024 flooding and it has been reported that many of the breaches have not so far been mended, which might compound the case if heavy rainfall continues.

What appears is that the government is in need of a regular inspection of embankments and the repairs of the breaches in the embankments to minimise the risk of areas being flooded and of people being constrained by floodwater submersion. If even a number of breaches, not all though, that developed in the embankments during the 2024 flooding of the area have not been mended with the passage of so many months, the government’s embankment management plan only comes to be questioned. And, if even embankments breach at some places after they fail to withstand the pressure of water, the government appears not serious about embankment maintenance. Flood management is something that the government, of course, needs to properly attend to, by dredging the rivers, improving the flood forecast and warning system, by enhancing the capability of evacuating people likely at risk of flooding in the event of an impending danger and even by taking up the cross-border water flow issues in the countries upstream, India and Myanmar, but the government also needs to shore up issues centring on the inspection and maintenance of the embankments well ahead of the flooding season or even when there is no risk of flooding.


Flooding can hardly be prevented from happening as this is a natural disaster and its management involves a whole lot of issues. But the government can improve its embankment management plan and effectively minimise sufferings that people might face. The government should shore up the issues earnestly.



Contact
reader@banginews.com

Bangi News app আপনাকে দিবে এক অভাবনীয় অভিজ্ঞতা যা আপনি কাগজের সংবাদপত্রে পাবেন না। আপনি শুধু খবর পড়বেন তাই নয়, আপনি পঞ্চ ইন্দ্রিয় দিয়ে উপভোগও করবেন। বিশ্বাস না হলে আজই ডাউনলোড করুন। এটি সম্পূর্ণ ফ্রি।

Follow @banginews