Chattogram City Corporation (CCC) has taken initiatives to launch two separate projects worth Tk3,871 crore to maintain existing canals and restore those outside the ongoing mega drainage project, aimed at easing waterlogging in the port city.
The move comes even before the completion of the ongoing waterlogging mitigation mega project. The project is being implemented under the supervision of the Bangladesh Army.
CCC sources said work on 36 canals under the mega project is expected to finish by December. After completion, the canals will be handed over to the city corporation for maintenance.
Officials warned that without proper equipment and funding, there is a risk that the canals may again lose navigability in the future. For this reason, CCC has started planning a dedicated maintenance project in advance.
In addition, the city corporation has taken an initiative to recover 21 canals that remain outside the mega project and have long suffered from encroachment and pollution.
Consultancy firm “Our Pulse” has been assigned to prepare the development project proposals (DPP) for both schemes.
According to the proposals, the canal maintenance project for 36 canals may cost around Tk322 crore. The restoration and rehabilitation project for 21 canals may require Tk3,549 crore. The firm recently presented the preliminary proposals to Chattogram City Mayor Shahadat Hossain.
The mayor said not only 21 canals but many more canals outside the mega project also require restoration. He said the city may need to recover 40 to 50 canals in total. He recently visited a nearly dead canal in Chandgaon area and observed illegal structures built over it.
He added that identifying such canals and including them in the project may increase the overall cost.
He further said that once the canals are handed over to the city corporation, modern machinery will be required for regular dredging, silt removal and maintenance. He also said the plan includes developing the canals as tourism-friendly spaces.
In 2022, a meeting at the Local Government Division decided to launch a separate project for 21 canals. However, the initiative stalled for a long time due to complications in appointing a consultancy firm. Later, the Chinese firm Power China was approached, but finally Our Pulse agreed to conduct the feasibility study and prepare the DPP.
The canals identified under the restoration project include Katta Khal, Krishno Khal, Kuwaish Khal, Jugir Khola Khal, Forest Khal, Baijja Khal, Chatteswari Khal, Rampur Khal, Balukhali Khal, Baringshachhara Khal and Dhamair Khal, along with several connected canals.
The maintenance project for 36 canals has been proposed as a five-year plan. It includes three phases: first, removal of silt and waste from canals; second, structural development and introduction of citizen monitoring systems; and third, digital monitoring, flood forecasting and technology-based waterlogging management.
Stakeholders believe that without regular maintenance and restoration of canals outside the mega project, the city will not be able to fully resolve its waterlogging problem, even after completion of the ongoing scheme. They see the two new projects as the next major step in canal management and waterlogging control in Chattogram.
