Kutubdia extremely needs a sustainable embankment

The people of Kutubdia, an upazila which consists of an island surrounded by the Bay of Bengal, direly need a sustainable embankment to protect them from the onslaughts of the coastal erosion.

They have not got such a durable structure even after wait for long 34 years. The existing embankment in Kutubdia, which is broken, is a source of fear for the islanders.

Hundreds of houses have got destroyed here in several phases in the force of coastal erosion.

Many residents of the island have lost all their belongings in the gorge of the eroding sea.

A spot-visit found that due to the recent impact of multiple low and high-pressure waves in the Bay of Bengal and the impact of high tides, the 6.5-kilometre embankment of the Water Development Board built on the western side of Tablerchar, Kaharpara, Shaitpara, wind power project area, Haidarpara, Telipara and Anicher Dale village of Ali Akbardale union has collapsed and hundreds of houses have been washed away into in the sea.

At least more than 30 houses have been destroyed under the impact of tidal surge.

Most of the houses are made of bamboo and wood, with polythene roofs. Hundreds of acres of cropland and salt fields were submerged in brackish water.

Cultivation on hundreds of acres of land has been stopped due to salty water invading the crop fields. As a result, farmers of Kutubdia Island have suffered long-term losses.

The Water Development Board said that there are 40 kilometres of embankments in Kutubdia, of which 6.5 kilometer stretches are damaged. And recently, about 800 metres of embankments have breached.

Local residents said that the sea has been rough for five months. Now the embankment is constantly caving in due to strong tidal waves in the sea.

While visiting the site of Ali Akbar Dale Union, it was seen that several houses were flooded by the tidal surge. Some coconut trees in the yard of one house were on the verge of disappearing into the sea, where seventy-year-old Maryam Begum lives in a small hut. She said that she has seen more than 50 cyclones and tidal commotions in her life.

She lost four daughters in the cyclone of April 29. Maryam Begum said that Kutubdia is disappearing into the sea piece by piece. In the last three decades, many people of the island have lost their homes and jobs and have moved to other places. Those who remain are all hopeful that a sustainable embankment will be built.

Maryam Begum said that before the 1991 cyclone, her home was two kilometers west of the Bay of Bengal. At that time, her five kanis (two acres) of land and home were washed away. She has changed her house four times in the last three decades. The house she is currently living in was also flooded by tidal surge. Mustafa Begum, 55, is a resident of Sitepara, Ali Akbar Dail Union, Kutubdia. After losing her home in the devastating cyclone and tidal wave of 1991, she lived in a shack on the embankment. But the last refugee was destroyed by the strong tide of the past few days when the embankment broke and disappeared.

Mustafa Begum said, "My husband is crazy, I don't know where he lives. I used to live on the embankment with my two daughters and a son. But the house was destroyed by the strong tide of the sea. I have fought the sea many times since 1991. I can't do it anymore. Now I don't have the strength. My house has also been taken by the sea. If there was land somewhere, I would have gone there and built a house. But there is no house or land left."

Meanwhile, the embankments were broken in 12 parts of Kutubdia, including Ali Akbar Dail, Kaiarbil, North and South Dhurung unions. Although attempts were made to protect the embankments with geo-bags, they did not last even a year. The areas of wind power, Tabalerchar, Kaharpara, Haidarpara, Telipara, Anicher Dail are more risky. Tide water is constantly entering through the broken embankments. Village after village is being flooded.

Local public representatives said that if a sustainable embankment is not built, the islanders will have to suffer repeatedly. The people of Kutubdia have been victims of neglect and deprivation throughout their lives. There is a crisis of everything from food to water. Therefore, a sustainable embankment is very important for the improvement of the quality of life of the people of the island. Cox's Bazar Water Development Board Sub-Divisional Engineer Jamal Murshid said that due to the ongoing heavy rains and marine signals, 12 parts of the Kutubdia embankment, about 2.5 kilometers, have been damaged. In most of them, work has been done by placing geo-bags on an emergency basis. The feasibility study has been conducted for Maheshkhali, Kutubdia and Matarbari for permanent solutions. Initially, a project proposal has been prepared for the construction of a 6.5 km super dyke in Ali Akbar Dail union and Batighar areas.

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