Rizwana to visit submerged Bhabodah area tomorrow

Water Resources, Environment and Climate Change Affairs Adviser Syeda Rizwana Hasan will visit the submerged Bhabodah area in Jashore tomorrow to see for herself the problems and sufferings of the area. Water Resources Ministry and Water Development Board (WDB) sources said the adviser will go directly to the Amdanga Khal at Avaynagar upazila to witness the present condition of the cannel. 

She, along with the Water Resources Secretary Md Nazmul Ahsan and senior officials of the WDB, will visit the starting point of the cannel and also it's ending point at Bhairab River. The government has taken a project with the financial assistance from the World Bank to re-excavate the cannel to release the stagnant water of the area to the Bhairob River, sources added.

Later, the adviser will go to the Bhabodah sluice gates to observe the water logging situation and activities taken by the ministry to reduce the stagnant water from the vast submerged areas. Over 500 villages in four upazilas of Jashore have been marooned due to the water logging as households of over nine lakh people are under water. 

Over 75000 hectors of agricultural land, thousands of fish enclosures, several hundred educational institutions and pucca, semi-pucca and kancha roads are being damaged badly due to the water logging. Concerned officials of the WDB said the adviser will talk to the affected people and stakeholders at Amdanda and Bhabodah points to find a way out. Later, she will join a view exchange meeting on the same issues at Jashore circuit house in the afternoon.