After a rope-pulling operation in Khulna’s Paikgachha, the eroded ring dam of Kumkhali adjacent to Shanta’s sluice gate has finally been repaired. Over the past two days, with the funding of Garikhali UP Chairman GM Abdus Salam Keru and Bazar Banik Samity President Aminul Islam, a retired government official, and the help of locals including Paubo, it has been possible to repair the 24-foot-long and 10-foot-wide eroded dam.
Late Professor Pradeep Kumar Sana, former UP members Shahabuddin, Ruhul Gazi and locals were present at the time.
It is reported that on the last Eid-ul-Fitr day, the dam for storing fresh water in Kumkhali broke due to the excess or overflowing water pressure of the Shanta sluice gate in Garikhali. In this incident, salt water started entering the Ghoshkhali (dammed) river. This threatened the current season’s watermelon, rice and various other crops in the area, including cattle. At that time, the Garikhali Union Parishad immediately repaired the ring dam.
But one side alleged that someone, out of greed for fish, made a hole or leak in the damaged dam at night, causing the dam to collapse again.
The other side says that the repaired dam somehow broke under the pressure of the water flowing through the sluice gate.
However, during this time, salt water has entered far and wide due to the rising and falling of salt water.
At this moment, farmers are facing a serious irrigation crisis. Farmers in villages near the Ghoshkhali River are suffering from water shortages, fearing disruption to the production of watermelon fields, rice and other crops.
In this regard, Kumkhali resident Shanto Kumar Mondal said, “Despite the opportunity, when the dam broke for the second time, I sought cooperation from everyone, from the local MP to the UNO, the Agriculture Office, the Water Development Board, but I did not receive a satisfactory response.”
Local resident Bholanath Mandal said, “It is useless to blame only the members and chairman. What role have the farmers or we played in repairing the dam to prevent salt water?”
Former UP Chairman Ruhul Amin Biswas said that the dam was once provided by the Union Parishad in response to the people’s demands for agricultural crop production.
But even though it has been a month since the dam broke this season, those responsible have not been able to play a proper role.
In this regard, UP Chairman GM Abdus Salam Keru said that a section of people are busy criticizing but do not take any role in the work. He said that the dam has been repaired for the second time to provide fresh water to the crops, which is bringing relief to the farmers.