Mega project to ease waterlogging in Chattogram stirs new hope

The mega project undertaken with an outlay of Tk 5,616 crore to end the longstanding waterlogging in Chattogram city has kindled hope among the city dwellers. Chittagong Development Authority (CDA) Chairman Abdus Salam inaugurated work of the project on Saturday through re-excavating Chashma canal in the city. The CDA chairman urged the city residents not to expect much about easing the waterlogging problem this time as it will take much time to complete the whole procedure. “It is a massive task and we are trying our level best to mitigate the perennial problem. The city dwellers will see visible progress of the project next year,” he said. The CDA chairman said that the mega project was undertaken for addressing the long-standing waterlogging problem in the city as per the directives of Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina. On August 9 last year, the Executive Committee of the National Economic Council (Ecnec) approved the project for the “Canal re-excavation, expansion, renovation and development to ease waterlogging in Chittagong city”. The project is scheduled to be completed by 2020. Gifted with a natural drainage system by having a long network of canals for draining out storm water to the rivers and sea, the port city is not supposed to be waterlogged. However, around one-third of the city goes under water during every monsoon while the southern part gets inundated during high tide even without rain. On April 9, the CDA signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with the engineering corps of the Bangladesh Army. As per the MoU, the CDA under the Ministry of Housing and Public Works will implement the project under the supervision of the Bangladesh Army. Under the project, about 5.28 lakh cubic metres of dirt and 4.20 lakh cubic metres of sludge will be removed from 36 canals. About 11km of connecting drains will be built and 107 acres of land will be acquired. The project entities include re-excavation of 36 canals within the city areas, construction of 12 sluice gates and pump houses on the estuary of six canals, construction of six culverts, procurement of necessary equipment, cleaning of 320km long existing drains, construction of retaining wall of 178 km, construction of 48 girder bridges, re-excavation of all existing drains in 302 km areas and installation of 880 electric poles. A total of 57 canals carry waste and rainwater of Chattogram, a city inhabited by six million people, but these canals fail to remove waste and rainwater because of illegal grabbing and clogging.