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Five Upazilas in Sylhet

Flood control project limping for 12yrs

IQBAL SIDDIQUEE, Sylhet
Although over 12 years have passed, the much talked-about five-year long flood control and irrigation project to be implemented in Sylhet is still incomplete mainly due to repeated revisions of project works.
Only 75 percent of the work is done, officials admitted.
Numerous canals and reservoirs are to be dug up in five upazilas--Zakiganj, Kanaighat, Beanibazar, Golapganj and Sylhet Sadar-under the "Upper Surma-Kushiyara Project" to control flow of the Surma and Kushiyara rivers.
Successful implementation of the project would protect about 54,000 hectares of land in the five upazilas from recurrent flooding, and provide water for irrigation for 10,000 hectares of cropland.
Officials of Bangladesh Water Development Board, which is implementing the project, said the main reasons for the delay are repeated revisions of the project for five times, non-cooperation of locals, and delay in land acquisition.
The revisions included adjusting the cost of the project to inflation and crossing off some less important components from the design because the water resources ministry delayed in releasing fund or approved inadequate sums of money each time, according to some officials.
Siddiqur Rahman, executive engineer of BWDB, Sylhet said so far 75 percent of the work has been completed at a cost of Tk 97.23 crore.
The delay in project completion has led the expenditure to rise by overTk 20 crore, he said.
According to the official, the Water Development Board undertook the project in fiscal year 2001-2002 and initially it was to be completed by 2005-2006 at a cost ofTk 111 crore.
After revisions for the fifth time in 2009, the project cost went up to Tk 131.5 crore and the deadline was set at 2012.
However, it is already two years past the deadline, and the board has now extended the deadline till June 2015, he said.
Siddiqur suspects that as the project com-pletion has been delayed again, it would not be possible to stay within the allocated budget of Tk 131.5 crore.
The project starts from the Amolshid border in Zakiganj upazila where the two rivers enter the country from India and runs up to Golapganj and Sylhet Sadar along the banks of the two rivers.
The Surma and Kushiyara flood adjacent areas every year between April and October, causing damage to croplands and washing away households.