Sylhet Correspondent :
Water Development Board (WDB) has already started work on schemes worth Tk 800 million under the Flood Control and Irrigation Project for haor region.
Re-sectioning of 150 km submersible embankments, construction of 10 km dykes on Baro Haor and Chatal Haor in Sunamganj, construction of 12 drainage regulators, 11 drainage outlets, six causeway and gated structures, rehabilitation of existing regulators, re-excavation of 15 km internal canals and dredging of Surma-Boulai river system are main work under the project.
The development work would be completed by the current fiscal, said Superintending Engineer of the board, Sylhet zone, AKM Nurul Islam Sarker.
As there had been no remarkable progress during the last few years, the ambitious project is being given another time extension for two years, the official added.
For saving 289,000 hectares of 52 haors in six districts, the project was launched in the fiscal year 2011-2012.
However, the project ‘Pre-monsoon Flood Protection and Drainage Improvement in Haor areas’ had to be revised five times before launching.
The ECNEC meeting on 12 April, 2011 approved it for implementing in five years. As the term ended in June 2015, it was first extended for a year, even then the progress stood at only 18 per cent till June 2016 after spending Tk 1260 million. The total project cost now stands at Tk 7,040.736 million whereas it was Tk 6,840 million.
The official said it is aimed at raising agricultural production capacity through work on six haors in Sylhet, 36 in Sunamganj, five in Netrokona, two in Moulvibazar, one in Habiganj and two in Kishoreganj. After implementing, the project would save massive croplands, which go inundated during the monsoon almost every year, he added.
Prime objective of project is to ensure protection of Boro crops against pre-monsoon flash floods and to increase navigability of the main rivers in the region, the official added, it would also improve capacity of the internal drainage canals.
But, for reasons, like fund shortage and indifference of the executing agency, the project’s progress was very poor as yet.
Water Development Board (WDB) has already started work on schemes worth Tk 800 million under the Flood Control and Irrigation Project for haor region.
Re-sectioning of 150 km submersible embankments, construction of 10 km dykes on Baro Haor and Chatal Haor in Sunamganj, construction of 12 drainage regulators, 11 drainage outlets, six causeway and gated structures, rehabilitation of existing regulators, re-excavation of 15 km internal canals and dredging of Surma-Boulai river system are main work under the project.
The development work would be completed by the current fiscal, said Superintending Engineer of the board, Sylhet zone, AKM Nurul Islam Sarker.
As there had been no remarkable progress during the last few years, the ambitious project is being given another time extension for two years, the official added.
For saving 289,000 hectares of 52 haors in six districts, the project was launched in the fiscal year 2011-2012.
However, the project ‘Pre-monsoon Flood Protection and Drainage Improvement in Haor areas’ had to be revised five times before launching.
The ECNEC meeting on 12 April, 2011 approved it for implementing in five years. As the term ended in June 2015, it was first extended for a year, even then the progress stood at only 18 per cent till June 2016 after spending Tk 1260 million. The total project cost now stands at Tk 7,040.736 million whereas it was Tk 6,840 million.
The official said it is aimed at raising agricultural production capacity through work on six haors in Sylhet, 36 in Sunamganj, five in Netrokona, two in Moulvibazar, one in Habiganj and two in Kishoreganj. After implementing, the project would save massive croplands, which go inundated during the monsoon almost every year, he added.
Prime objective of project is to ensure protection of Boro crops against pre-monsoon flash floods and to increase navigability of the main rivers in the region, the official added, it would also improve capacity of the internal drainage canals.
But, for reasons, like fund shortage and indifference of the executing agency, the project’s progress was very poor as yet.
