SYLHET, Apr 29: The much-talked about ambitious project for early flood control and irrigation in six low-lying districts - Sunamganj, Sylhet, Habiganj, Moulvibazar, Netrokona and Kishoreganj - is going to end in June next with a progress of about 70 per cent, sources said.
It was launched in the 2011-2012 with a target to saving crops on about 289,000 hectares of on about 52 haors in the districts.
The ECNEC meeting on April 12, 2011 approved the project 'Pre-monsoon flood protection and drainage improvement in haor areas'. As the term ended in June 2015, it was extended. Even then the progress was not satisfactory at all.
Again it was extended in 2017 for two years, but the total project cost was reduced with some minor changes twice. Although it was Tk 6,849 million initially, the project cost was raised to Tk 7,040.7 million.
Again it was reduced to Tk 5,872.9 million in the second revision on October 29, 2017.
Nizamul Haque Bhuiyan, additional chief engineer of Water Development Board (North-East Region), also the project director, told this correspondent on Monday, the project is aimed at raising agricultural production capacity through various initiatives on six haors in Sylhet, 36 in Sunamganj, five in Netrokona, two in Moulvibazar, one in Habiganj and two in Kishoreganj districts.
On implementation, the project would save vast croplands which go inundated during monsoon almost every year, he added.
The prime objective is to ensure protection of Boro crops against pre-monsoon flash floods as well as for increasing navigability of the main rivers in the region, said the official, adding, it would also improve capacity of the internal drainage canals.
The major components include, construction of regulators, compartmental dyke, cross dam at Matian Haor in Sunamganj, construction of drainage outlets, irrigation structures, internal canal re-excavation and Surma-Boulai river system dredging etc.
But, for reasons, like fund and staff shortage, longer duration of monsoon, and short duration of time for field works etc, the project's progress stood at about 70 per cent as yet, he said, it would be about 75 per cent by June.
The farmers however, are benefited well with the works done already, he said.
Almost every year, natural calamities like early and flash floods, rolling down of water from the Indian hills, incessant rains etc 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. Every year, Boro paddy is cultivated on about 700,000 hectares of land in the said districts.
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.
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