Government projects being delayed in Bangladesh is nothing new. Indeed, the recent news that the Bahaddarhat Baroipara canal project in Chittagong has been revised for the third time, a full decade after its initial approval, is a story so familiar it barely registers as news anymore.
According to reports, the project has long been expected to ease Chittagong's devastating waterlogging problem which, much like Dhaka, results in the city coming to a standstill as a result of even moderate amounts of rain. The constant delays have certainly given way to public apathy regarding this project, which would have been a lifeline for the millions of residents of Chittagong who wade through flooded streets every monsoon.
This is not just about a missed deadline -- it is about years of avoidable suffering, economic disruption from traffic gridlock, and public health hazards posed by stagnant water.
However, despite the repeated delays there have also been some positive developments surrounding the project, including a reduction of Tk19 crore in revised costs and the project recently having hit a 93% physical completion. What matters now is for the administration to ensure that no further delays are incoming.
Projects which seek to resuscitate natural drainage systems such as canals are not luxuries but vital infrastructure. They directly impact public health, urban mobility, economic activity, and climate resilience. As climate change intensifies rainfall, the urgency of such projects only grows. They must be treated with the utmost priority, shielded from the bureaucratic inertia that condemns them to years of delays.
We need projects to be completed on time, and the onus is on our public administration to make sure of that.
