“Every year they somehow build a ring embankment, and again our houses are washed away,” said fisherman Md. Nasir Uddin of Pales Baliatali village under Sadar upazila of Barguna, his voice filled with frustration. His words seem to reflect the long-standing grief and anger of the people of the entire district.
In this coastal district, the so-called “emergency embankment repair” by the Water Development Board (WDB) has now become a routine practice. Although an average of eight crore taka is spent every year, the benefit is minimal. Within a few months, the embankments collapse into the river, and the same work is carried out again in the name of repairs—local residents have raised such allegations.
Nasir Uddin’s three acres of land have already been devoured by the river. After relocating his homestead twice, he now barely survives by building a small house beside the ring embankment. He said, “There’s no place left to build another house; as the erosion continues, we’ll have to leave our ancestral home.”
This situation is not unique to Nasir—people of Pales Baliatali, Joyalbhanga, Nolbunia, Nishanbaria, and many other villages are living in the same uncertainty. Where there used to be homesteads and markets just four years ago, now the currents of the Payra River flow throug.
According to WDB authorities, the length of the embankments in Barguna district is 805 kilometers, of which at least two kilometers are in a vulnerable condition.
The agency’s data show that in the past five years, Tk 40 crore 19 lakh 41 thousand have been spent on emergency embankment repairs. In 2020–21 fiscal year: Tk 6 crore 17 lakh 35 thousand, in 2021–22 fiscal year: Tk 7 crore 98 lakh 80 thousand, in 2022–23 fiscal year: Tk 2 crore 12 lakh 26 thousand, in 2023–24 fiscal year: Tk 20 crore 24 lakh and 2024–25 fiscal year: Tk 3 crore 67 lakh
However, despite such huge expenditure, the situation has not improved much. In Joyalbhanga, Tk 2 crore 75 lakh were spent to repair 1,100 meters of embankment since 2018. But locals allege that the work did not last.
During a field visit on September 19, it was seen that emergency repair work was ongoing. Due to a shortage of soil, earth was being excavated from the slope of the embankment itself by an excavator and dumped onto the top—something locals say is weakening the structure.
Harun Howlader of Joyalbhanga said, “Every year they do some careless repair work. Within two or three months, the river swallows it up again. Now they’re cutting soil from the slope itself—how can the embankment survive like this?”
Yunus Howlader said, “My house has been washed away by the river three times. If they built a permanent embankment with concrete blocks a bit farther away, at least we could survive.” Locals demand that without constructing strong embankments with blocks at a safe distance, the next tidal surge could wipe out the entire region into the sea.
Md. Abdul Hannan Pradhan, Executive Engineer of the Barguna Water Development Board, said, “It costs at least Tk 100 crore to build a one-kilometer permanent block embankment. But compared to the damage that occurs every year in the coastal areas, the allocated budget is very small.”
He added that work is currently underway at a cost of Tk 1,577 crore to protect 13 kilometers of riverbanks, preserve the slopes of 9 kilometers, and repair 51 kilometers of embankments. Two more projects, covering 69 kilometers of embankments for permanent protection, are awaiting approval from the Planning Commission, he said.
However, locals claimed that under the excuse of limited funds, the authorities continue to conduct careless repairs year after year—wasting money in the process. Without sustainable embankments, they say, it will be impossible to protect the lives and agriculture of coastal residents.
