Jamuna erosion puts 33kV power substation at risk as electricity poles collapse into river

 Manik Hossain, from Bera (Pabna)

Sudden and severe erosion has hit Puran Bhorenga Union in Bera Upazila of Pabna, even as the water of the Jamuna River starts to fall. Several homesteads, farmlands, electric poles and many trees have already gone into the river. Several families on the riverbank are spending sleepless nights in fear of the erosion.

The new erosion has hit several villages, including Natun Bhorenga, Puran Bhorenga, Kalyanpur Char, Boktapur, Char Singhas and Leulaipara. The erosion has come very close to the Kalyanpur 33 kV power sub station, so there is a strong fear that it will go into the river. If the sub station is damaged, thousands of customers over a large area will lose power for a long time. The loss of infrastructure has already begun.

Earlier this week, electric poles went into the river, and power supply stayed cut for 22 hours straight. This shows how dangerous the power system in the Kalyanpur area is. Locals say the erosion is so sudden that farmland and houses sink into the river in the dark of night or within a few hours. They do not even get enough time to move their homestead belongings.

The locals expressed anger. They said they do not want relief or small grants. They said their main demand is one thing: a lasting riverbank protection embankment and permanent bank protection with CC blocks. They want the government to stop giving small pieces of funding every year and take up permanent river training in one go. They say this is the long held and strong demand of the people along the Jamuna.

Mr. Md. Alauddin, a line technician at the Kalyanpur 33 kV sub station, said that at 5 pm that day he thought the place was safe. He said that around 8 pm, sudden erosion took the poles of the 33 kV sub station into the river. He said that sometimes the situation is so unexpected that there is no time even to take transformers off the poles. He said they have to work with great risk. He said the erosion area is now only 250 meters from the sub station. He said the sub station may face big damage if no step is taken very soon.

Mr. Md. Haider Ali, engineer of the Bera Sub Division of the Water Development Board (Paubo), spoke to the Daily Inqilab. He said they have received reports of erosion along the Jamuna bank in Kalyanpur and several other places. He said they are watching the matter very seriously and have informed senior officials. He said he hopes that effective steps will be taken very soon to stop the erosion.