Tk 350 Crore Permanent Embankment Taking Shape in Chattogram's Anwara, One Kilometre Done in Raipur

A permanent embankment is becoming visible in the coastal Raipur and Juindondi unions of Anwara upazila in Chattogram. Local people say the embankment will protect settlements from large sea waves and storm surges and will improve local agriculture, business and communications.

According to the Water Development Board, work is progressing on 5.175 kilometres of permanent embankment construction and bank protection in eight packages at a cost of Tk 350 crore.

Under the project, 2.40 kilometres of embankment is being built in Juindondi Union in four packages costing about Tk 150 crore under the supervision of the Bangladesh Navy. In Raipur Union, 2.775 kilometres of permanent bank protection and embankment preservation work is being carried out in four packages costing about Tk 200 crore under the Water Development Board.

The project includes permanent bank protection, embankment reshaping and slope protection. One kilometre of embankment work has already been completed in Raipur Union, where about 50 percent of the remaining work has progressed. In Juindondi Union, about 80 percent of the embankment section is complete.

Local sources say Anwara upazila has about 48 kilometres of embankment, including 8 kilometres along riverbanks and 4.5 kilometres along the seashore. Permanent protection work is now under way on 2.40 kilometres along the river and 2.775 kilometres along the sea. However, about 4 kilometres along the river and 2.73 kilometres along the sea remain in a vulnerable condition.

Every year during the cyclone and storm-surge season, coastal residents suffer hardship. When embankments break, salt water enters settlements and damages cropland and shrimp enclosures. The new embankment uses modern jointed blocks, durable raised earth slopes at a set height and CC blocks, and is expected to protect thousands of coastal families.

Additional Secretary of the Ministry of Water Resources Enamul Haque recently inspected the coastal embankment construction work in Anwara, including Raipur. He expressed satisfaction with the quality of the work and directed that the project be finished within the set schedule with the quality of construction ensured in full.

Local residents expressed relief at the new embankment under construction. Raipur Union resident Jalal Uddin Anwari said coastal people want a durable embankment, and that the picture of the area will change if construction is finished within the set time.

Md Zahidul Alam, a resident of the Chhibatali Ghat area of Raipur Union, said this is the embankment they had dreamed of for a long time. He said there is no longer a fear of homes being washed away, and that the built embankment is now taking the shape of a tourist attraction.

Salahuddin Zahed, a resident of Juindondi Union, said his union has long suffered river erosion and flooding. Durable embankment construction has reduced the erosion risk on the coast and people will no longer live in fear of losing their homes. If the embankment is built strongly and to last, he hopes it will be able to withstand natural disasters for the next few decades.

Barna Haque, the sub-divisional engineer of the Chattogram Water Development Board in charge of Anwara, said it was possible to complete one kilometre of durable embankment in Raipur ahead of schedule. The remaining work is also being advanced quickly, and those involved are working to complete all work successfully by June 2027, in line with the project's set deadline.