BENAPOLE, July 02: Thousands of families in four unions of Lohagara Upazila in Narail have been suffering as seasonal flooding from the Madhumati River inundates around 6,000 acres of farmland and residential areas for about six months every year, BWDB sources said.
Locals allege that although an embankment project was undertaken to protect the area, construction has remained incomplete even after seven years. The district administration and BWDB also said that floodwaters submerged nearly 6,000 acres, including cropland and homes, for decades causing extensive damage to agricultural production and leaving thousands of residents in repeated and severe hardship. Paved roads along the Madhumati River also washed away.
To address the problem, the then government approved a Tk 3.42 billion project at an Executive Committee of the National Economic Council (ECNEC) meeting in 2019 to construct a 3.1-kilometre embankment from Kotakol to Gagha chairman's house in Dhaloitala under Lohagara Upazila.
After overcoming objections from local residents and a court injunction, BWDB and the district administration began construction in 2023.
Although the project was originally scheduled for completion by June 2025, its deadline has been extended twice to July 2026. Progress, however, remains slow, with only excavation work visible in some sections and the BWDB authorities said they need more time.
Land acquisition has also lagged behind. Of the 161 affected landowners, only 24 have so far received compensation. The contract value for the embankment construction has been increased and revised to at approximately Tk 5.95 billion. Residents of at least 15 villages under four unions have demanded the immediate completion of the embankment to protect their farmland and homesteads. However, affected landowners insist that construction cannot proceed unless they receive compensation for their acquired land.
"We are facing difficulties in carrying out the work because BWDB has not yet handed over the entire project area," said Milon Ali, manager of the contractor concerned SA UB JB.
"Whenever we try to work, local people obstruct us, saying they will not allow construction until compensation is paid. We are making progress in some sections, but once the full land is handed over, we will be able to complete the project quickly."
Abhijit Kumar Saha, executive engineer of BWDB in Narail, said the project remained stalled until 2022 due to a court injunction despite being approved in 2019. "Construction began in 2023, but the contractor has been unable to work regularly because of local resistance and complications over land acquisition," he said. "Even after land is demarcated with red flags, the markers are removed. We hope the remaining issues will be resolved soon so that the work can be completed as quickly as possible."
Additional Deputy Commissioner (Revenue) Hosne Ara Tanni said the district administration had demarcated the required land for BWDB several times."So far, compensation cheques have been handed over to 24 verified landowners. The remaining applications and documents are being scrutinised, and compensation will be paid in phases," she added.
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