Ctg will see no water-logging this year: CDA

Chattogram City map

Jehangir Hussain

CHATTOGRAM , Mar 16: “Most of the areas in the  Chattogram Port City will see no water-logging in the coming rainy season,’ Chattogram Development Authority’s (CDA) Project Director Col. M Shah Ali said on Thursday.

He said that the Chaktai Khal, one of the main reasons for water-logging in the port city will be fully cleared of obstacles by March 31.

He said that out of 36 canals in the city 24 would be cleared within the current month.

“Over 75 per cent works of canal re-excavation, renovation and expansion to eradicate water logging in the port city has been implemented by CDA, he said.

Construction of 176 km of retaining wall on both banks of 24 canals are in progress, he said. Construction of retaining walls along 14 canals has been completed, he said.

A total of 36 canals have re-excavated under the project and the remaining 21 canals would be re-excavated by the Chattogram City Corporation (CCC), he said.

Under the project, construction of 300 km of drains are continuing, but the total length of  drains maintained by CCC is over 1,600 km.

The project authorities maintain partly completed   12 canals, 54 bridges-culverts, 10.7 km of new drains and 15.5 km of road side drains..

Four mega projects in the port city are under implementation by CDA and Bangladesh Army.

The total estimated cost of these projects is over Tk  14,000 crore, said officials.

After a long time, in October, 2022, Water Development Board (WDB) has started implementing its Tk 1,620 crore project to remove water logging from the port city.

CDA’s canal re-excavation, renovation and expansion and the CCC’s  project to remove water logging from the port city are continuing.

The escalated cost of the Revised Development Project Proposal (RDPP) for removing water logging from the port city of Tk 10,400 crore from Tk 5, 616 crore, awaits approval of the Executive Committee of National Economic Council (ECNEC).

A moderate to heavy rainfall inundates various parts  of the city, its roads, lanes and by-lanes, houses, markets and even shops, hampering activities in economic zone during the rainy season.

Sluice gates would be installed at all the estuaries of the re-excavated canals.

According to CDA, out of the port city’s 57 canals,  36 have been brought under the project and 21  remains outside the project.

The CCC has declared that it would re-excavate 21 canals, outside the CDA project.

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