About two kilometre of the embankment in three upazilas have been washed away due to erosion by tidal surge.

Bangladesh Water Development Board (BWDB) allotted Tk 13 lakh for repair of the embankment on emergency basis.

Patuakhali BWDB office sources said, repair work is going on of about half a kilometre of the embankment at Khajura, about four kilometre west of Kuakata sea beach.

The BWDB authorities allotted the amount following a visit to the area by Hamidur Rahman, joint chief of Planning Commission recently. Local BWDB officials accompanied him.

As part of the repair work, sacks full of sand were placed at the damaged part of the dam, said BWDB executive engineer Zaheer Uddin Ahmed.

Coastal Environment Rehabilitation Project (CERP), a wing of BWDB would complete the work on emergency basis, Zaheer Uddin said.

The tidal surge has damaged about 180 kilometre flood control embankment at different points in the district, the executive engineer said.

About two kilometre of flood control embankment of the BWDB and 10 sluice gates were washed away in the river due to tidal surge and erosion in the three coastal upazilas --Kalapara, Galachipa and Baufal.

Besides, 50 kilometre of flood control embankment is now under threat, he said.

The BWDB constructed the 981-kilometre embankment and set up a number of sluice gates to check flooding and tidal surge in the rainy season.

Meanwhile, erosion has taken a serious turn in the district in the ongoing rainy season.

In Kalapara, about 25-kilometre flood control embankment of all 13 polders turned risky following the tidal surge.

Of the polders, four-kilometre of 47 of Najibpur, Komorpur, Nizampur villages, five-kilometre of 47/A polder in Jamalpur, Charipara, Munshipara, Pashuribunia and Banatee villages, about 17- kilometre in 48, 44, 54, 47 polders are now under threat, sources said.

Over a hundred students of Nizampur Government Primary School have stopped going to school as half a kilometre embankment washed away into the river.

In Baufal, about one kilometre embankment in Mominpur area disappeared in the Tatulia river and over five-kilometre area is under threat. Half of the Baufal-Mominpur Road was also washed away in the river. Buses and all kinds of vehicles have already stopped plying.

In Galachipa, about 10-kilometre embankment on both sides of the Buragourango river has become risky as no repair work was done there for a long time. Over 200 breaches have developed on the embankment threatening to wash away at any moment, sources said.

The 10 sluice gates that went into the river in this season are Lohalia and Machuakhali sluice gates in Sadar upazila, Nizampur sluice gate, Banatee sluice gate in Kalapara and Panpatte and Kapalbara sluice gates in Galachipa upazila.

Over 1,000 acres of aman field is also under threat.

The BWDB executive engineer said he submitted a Tk 10 cr project proposal (PP) to the higher authorities for repair of the damaged embankments and sluice gates last year. But the PP is yet to be approved.

'We hope to begin seasonal repair work soon for protection of crops from tidal surge,' he said.