Ishwardi (Pabna) Correspondent :
As the water rises at the Hardinge Bridge point of the Padma River in Paksey, Hardinge Bridge, the country’s largest railway bridge, has started to collapse. Such a collapse has not been seen under the Bridge in living memory. Within a week, the river bed broke from 2nd girder to 3rd girder of the Paksey end of the bridge. If this erosion continues, there is a possibility that the river protection guide bank will be threatened. Locals have expressed fear that there is a possibility of damage to Hardinge Bridge and Lalon Bridge. However, the Water Development Board said that there is no possibility of damage to the bridge or the river protection dam.
On Friday (August 5) morning, the Paksey Hardinge Bridge area was seen, as the water in the Padma rose, severe collapse began across the area below the bridge. Ratan Malitha of the tea stall here and Mukim, the agile seller, said that the char spread up to Girder No. 4. The break has now come to the 2nd girder. Here every day Soundarya Pipasura comes to walk in the pasture under the bridge. Shopped and ate in makeshift shops. People are not coming anymore because the river banks are breaking. Those who are coming, they are coming to see the destruction. However, no steps have been taken yet to prevent the collapse.
Between Hardinge Bridge and Lalon Shah Bridge, several cultivated lands of various vegetables, including sugarcane and banana, have been lost in the river. Farmers said that they have been cultivating under Hardinge Bridge for almost three decades. I have never seen such intensity of erosion before.
Harifoon Naeem Ibn Salam, Graz Reader of Water
Development Board at Paksey Harding Bridge Point, said that the water has increased by more than 2 meters in 10 days. The amount of water on July 25 was 9.25 cm. On August 5, the amount of water was 12.93 cm. The water is increasing every day. Also there is a severe breach in the Padma under the Hardinge Bridge.
Paksey Divisional Railway Bridge Engineer Najeeb Kawshar said that there is no possibility of damage to the bridge even though the surrounding area of the pillar under the Hardinge Bridge has collapsed in the river. Bridge pillars are placed deep in the river by piling. Regarding the possibility of damage to the river protection dam, he said, the executive engineer of the Pabna Water Development Board has been spoken to several times. The river banks are jointly inspected and designed to prevent erosion. He said that the Water Development Board has assured to take steps to prevent the breach.
When contacted, Sarwar Jahan Sujan, Executive Engineer of Pabna Water Development Board, said that geo bags were dumped last year to prevent erosion in Sarada including the area around Hardinge Bridge. This time also I have learned about the increase in water. If the water starts to recede, necessary measures will be taken including dumping geo bags. He said that there is no possibility of damage to the bridge or the river protection dam due to the failure, he said that it is a normal process for the river to break and wake up. Any kind of problem will be taken immediate action.
