As many as 30 villages in the Bhola District in the Division of Barisal, Bangladesh have been inundated after flood water from the overflowing Meghna River swept over broken dykes. The river levels had been swollen by recent rain fall, but also dramatically increased after a high tide on Sunday 13 July 2014.
According to local media reports, the floods have affected the upazilas (sub-districts) of Monpura and Charfashion. Houses, schools, mosques, farmland and fish enclosures have been flooded, with some areas are said to be under around 1 metre (over 3 feet of water). Transport has also been affected, particularly since many river ferry terminals and gangways are also under water.
Normally these areas are protected by a flood control dyke. The dyke in this area along the Meghna River is extremely be vulnerable to the river erosion. It is a constant battle for authorities such as the Water Development Board to repair and upgrade embankments. Large stretches of the Bhola District embankment collapsed last year and local residents are still awaiting its repair. Locals are blaming the current floods on the fact that no proper action has been taken to repair the dyke. It seems that poor planning meant that work to carry out repairs was only ordered as recently as last month – way too late to complete any substantial work before the rainy season.
The Meghna River is one of the 3 rivers that forms the Ganges Delta in the Bay of Bengal, Bangladesh. Bhola district is situated on the Bay of Bengal and part of the district includes Bhola Island, the largest island of Bangladesh. In May this year tragedy struck on the river when a ferry carrying 200 people capsized and sank in bad weather in the Munshiganj district.
