Embankment breach floods 19 villages in Khulna, thousands stranded

The embankment breach in Paikgachha and Dacope upazilas of Khulna has flooded 19 villages, leaving thousands of residents stranded.

The Kalinagar Rekhamari dam in Paikgachha and the Khalisa dam in Dacope collapsed, flooding 13 and 6 villages respectively. The flood has damaged shrimp farms, seedlings, paddy, and seedbeds.

Ashraful Alam, the executive engineer of the Water Development Board (Khulna-2), confirmed the breach of those embankments.

Despite local repair efforts, high tidal water pressure and structural damage have hindered containment efforts. The villages affected are Kalinagar, Darul Mallik, Gopi Pagla, Telikhali, Syedkhali, Khajurtala, Sener Ber, Hatbari, Fulbari, Bagirdana, Durgapur, Horinkhola, and Nowai Paikgacha, and Khulisa, Pankhali, Anandnagar, in Dacope.

Repair work is ongoing with the help of 200 bamboo poles and soil cutters, but challenges persist as the Water Development Board continues efforts to manage the crisis.