Human chain to protect Kamalnagar from Meghna erosion

Kamalnagar (Lakshmipur) Correspondent: A human chain has been organized to demand protection of Kamalnagar from Meghna River erosion and to protest the construction of low-quality bank protection dams. On Tuesday (July 24), the 'Kamalnagar Suraksha Forum' organized a human chain at Khairhat Bazar in the upazila. Businessmen, farmers, workers and fishermen from various professions were present. At this time, local residents who are under threat of river erosion demanded the immediate construction of a second-stage bank protection dam to prevent erosion and its implementation by the army. The erosion of the Meghna River has continued in Kamalnagar for more than three decades. Roads, markets, educational institutions, mosques, shelter centers, houses and thousands of acres of cropland have been destroyed by the erosion. Many government and private establishments including the Upazila Parishad are under threat. In such a situation, it is urgent to construct another 8-kilometer dam in Kamalnagar.
The government allocated Tk 198 crore to prevent river erosion in the coastal Ramgati and Kamalnagar upazilas of Lakshmipur district. With this, it is planned to build a dam to protect the river bank of three and a half kilometers in Alexander, one kilometer in Ramgatiirhat and one kilometer in Kamalnagar. In 2015, the army successfully implemented the three and a half kilometer dam in Alexander. Although there was a demand to build the one kilometer dam in Kamalnagar under the supervision of the army, it was not done. A contracting company named Western Engineering did the work. Due to poor work, the dam collapsed six times in a year. When another landslide occurred on the night of July 15, the locals were terrified.