Tidal surge takes toll on Kuakata seafront

Seasonal king tides over the past two months have caused extensive damage to the Kuakata foreshore. Around ten feet of the lone link road to the area has been washed into the Bay of Bengal, with the pedestrian zone having significantly narrowed due to erosion.

“The beach is being washed into the Bay with each high tide,” says local small businessman Md Taiyubur Rahman. “We've lost part of the link road. The beach is littered with uprooted trees.”

The Daily Star observed that a public toilet block on the beach is at risk of collapse due to the increased erosion associated with the monsoon season.

Further, a biogas plant owned by the Local Government Engineering Department as well as an old telephone and telegraph office have already been washed into the sea.

Kuakata municipality's Mayor Abdul Bareq Mollah says the concerned authorities need to take  immediate action to protect the beachfront from further erosion, considering its national importance to tourism.

“A project proposal in this regard is already under consideration at the water resources ministry,” says the area's executive engineer for Bangladesh Water Development Board, Md. Abul Khayer. “When due processes have been completed, work can begin.”

The Kuakata seafront however faces such conditions at this time every year. “A portion of the beach gets washed away like this every monsoon season,” says local resident Md Shahjahan Akhon.