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Spending Tk 1.38cr in vain

Sundari canal re-excavated without freeing it from pollution, encroachment
MIRZA SHAKIL, Tangail
Once a vibrant waterway in Tangail, Sundari canal is now on its deathbed as a result of pollution and encroachment.
While the Water Development Board started carrying out excavation work to make the canal return to its former glory, the effort proved to be futile due to their nonchalance to free the waterbody from pollution and encroachment beforehand.
Dug up by the then zamindars (feudal landlords) in the early 1900s to facilitate the supply of fresh water for locals as well as improved navigation through the waterway, the six-kilometre-long waterbody, also known as Katakhali Khal (canal), flows from Karatia of Sadar upazila to Chhabbisha of Basail upazila of the district.
Before improvements in road communication, the canal used to serve as a major waterway route connecting many villages and trading centres in Tangail.
The authorities recently excavated the waterbody in a bid to restore it. However, during a recent visit to the area, this correspondent observed that the effort has not had much impact since the excavation work was carried out without cleaning the water, stopping the sources of pollution, and removing around a hundred illegal structures.
The canal was seen shrunken in width, with its natural flow hindered at several places, including the Karatia Bazar area.
“Sundari canal is situated between Louhajang and Jhenai rivers, and it had great flow and navigability, allowing passenger and cargo-laden boats to move through it just four decades ago,” said Syed Ezaz Ahmed, a local.
As it flows beside the busy Karatia Bazar, some unscrupulous locals, including politically influential ones, occupied the canal’s land to construct structures, including markets and shops, eventually shrinking the waterbody, he said.
Meanwhile, all waste from Karatia Bazar as well as from local households is dumped in the canal, causing the waste to accumulate across the waterbody and partially filling it up at places, said locals.
They also alleged that some influential people blocked the canal in several places to turn those areas into fish enclosures.
To deal with the situation, WDB carried out the excavation work for several kilometres across the canal in mid-2023.
Out of six kilometres of the canal, four kilometres have already been re-excavated. The remaining two kilometres will be completed by June of this year, according to WDB sources.
The project has a budget of over Tk 1.38 crore, added the sources.
Shahjahan Ansary, chairman of Sadar upazila parishad, said following WDB’s excavation, the canal’s flow has been restored only to some extent.
Sazzad Hossain, executive engineer of WDB in Tangail, said freeing the canal from pollution and encroachment, including the removal of illegal structures, is the responsibility of the local administrations.
“Coordinated steps from the district and upazila administrations and police are necessary to restore the canal,” he added.
Md Kaiserul Islam, deputy commissioner of Tangail, said an investigation has been launched to take necessary measures to this end.
The canal will be freed from pollution and illegal encroachments as soon as possible, he added.