Vast tracts of croplands and many homesteads in three unions under Sadullapur upazila will go under water in the upcoming rainy season as the damaged dyke along the Ghaghat river has not been repaired, villagers said.

Residents of Puran Laxmipur village said surging water of the river washed away parts of the dyke during the flood last year, flooding croplands and dwellings. Fear has gripped farmers that they will face a similar situation in the ensuing rainy season as the dyke has not been repaired.

Local people use the dyke as a road for communication with other unions and the upazila headquarters. A large number of people from adjoining unions cannot go to their destinations due to breaching of the dyke at different points. Even three-wheelers and motorcycles cannot move on the dyke, so people have to use alternative roads, which is time consuming.

“It was not like this even three years ago, when the dyke could be used for communication and controlling floodwater, but erosion weakened it and big sections were washed away by the surging water last year,” said Suruj Jamal, a farmer of Puran Laxmipur village.

Sabed Ali of the same village said huge areas of Damodorpur and Kamarpara unions will be flooded through the breached points and croplands and homesteads will go under water in the upcoming rainy season.

“We appealed to the upazila nirbahi officer and the authorities concerned several times to repair the dyke, but no initiative has been taken from any quarter as yet,” said Nurul Islam, a teacher in the village.

Kamarpara Union Parishad Chairman Shamsul Alam said people of three unions suffered a lot in the last flood, but no measure is being taken to repair the dyke despite repeated appeals to the Water Development Board (WDB).

Gaibandha WDB Executive Engineer Mahbubur Rahman said they have no plan to repair the dyke in Sadullapur. The World Bank will provide funds next year, he said, adding that repair work will start after they get the allocation.