Patuakhali Correspondent :
The first sustainable green embankment constructed on Dutch innovation officially opened on Thursday noon at Gondamari village of Dhankhali union under Kalapara Upazila of Patuakhali District in southern Bangladesh.
The dyke with 740 feet long X 13 feet wide X 62 feet slope constructed at Gondamari village and 320 feet long X 13 feet wide X 62 feet slope constructed at Marichbunia village of the upazila to save the people from tidal surge and flash flood.
Caritas Bangladesh with the technical support of Bangladesh Water Development Board and technical assistance of The Green Soil Bag Team-Netherlands constructed the embankment in January 2014under “Sustainable Dyke Repairing Project” at a cost of Tk.20,55,058/- with the funding support of the Catholic Organisation for Relief and Development Aid (CORDAID)-The Netherlands, explained Ms Gerdien Seegers, program manager, CORDAID.
The bags help to strengthen the compaction of soil. It is the combination of biotic (grass seeds) and a-biotic (jute bag, soil) elements. The bag is prepared by mixing the seed of grass and soil, sewed the bags and placed the same on the embankment. The grasses sprout up within two weeks through the tiny hole of the bags and their roots entered into the deep of the soil, technical experts of CORDAID explained.
The slope of the embankment where the soil bags are placed was strong enough for protecting the known level of tidal surge. The Water Development Board is monitoring the embankment and informed that gradually the soil is being strengthened, Mr. Joyti F. Gomes, Director-Disaster Management and Development Department, Caritas Bangladesh, added.
The embankment construction and repairing by using Green Soil Bag has successfully been done in the Netherlands and it was the first case of piloting the same in Bangladesh, said Francis Bepari, regional director Caritas Barisal.
