Sylhet Correspondent :
An ambitious project styled ‘Pre-monsoon Flood Protection and Drainage Improvement in Haor Areas’ is revamped in current fiscal.
The project was launched in the FY 2011-2012 to save 289,000 hectares of land on about 52 haors in five districts of Sylhet Division but no notable progress was seen during the last few years.
The districts are: Sunamganj, Sylhet, Habiganj, Moulvibazar, Netrokona and Kishoreganj.
On April 12, 2011, the ECNEC meeting approved the project for implementing it within five years. As the term ended in June 2015, it was extended for a year, even then the progress stood at only 17.9 per cent till June 2016 after spending Tk 1260 million. Now it is extended for a year temporarily, an official said, adding, the total project cost now stands at Tk 7040.736 million.
Superintending Engineer of WDB, Sylhet Zone, Nurul Islam Sarker said the prime objective of the project is to enhance production capacity of the region by saving massive croplands, which go inundated during monsoon almost every year.
After completing the project, Boro crops will be protected from pre-monsoon flash floods and increase the navigability of the main rivers in the region will be ensured with the improvement the capacity of the internal drainage canals, the official added.
It’s major components include, construction of 39 Regulators, 32 kilometre compartmental dyke, cross dam at Matian Haor in Sunamganj, construction of 29 drainage outlets, 22 irrigation structures, 333 Km internal canal re-excavation and 40 km Surma-Boulai river system dredging etc.
But, for reasons, like fund shortage and indifference of the executing agency, the project’s progress was very poor.
‘We would do some major works this year’, the official claimed, over Tk 1516.536 million would be spent this year. However, the carried over work would cost Tk 230.415 million while dredging would cost Tk 500 million.
This year 150 km submersible embankment would be reconstructed and 326 km would be partially repaired while 10 km compartmental dykes would be restructured alongside 12 km partially.
Besides, 32 regulators would be constructed and 11 drainage outlets while six gated structures would be constructed on the project areas.
More over, 11 regulators would be repaired and 21 partially while 15 km internal canal would be re excavated in addition to 10.3 km partially this year.
Dredging of three km on different points on the rivers Jadukata, Rokti, Surma and Boulai in Sunamganj would be done.
Floating tenders would begin this month, the official informed.
Almost every year, natural calamities like early and flash floods, rolling down of water from the Indian hilly region and incessant rains cause damage to Boro crops on huge areas in the said districts. The low-lying region, known as haor zone of the country is the major Boro producing area.
Due to absence of the appropriate and sustainable efforts to save the lone crop of the region, the poor and marginal farmers suffer extremely almost every year mainly due to seasonal flooding and others.
Every year, Boro paddy is cultivated on about 700,000 hectares in the said districts.
