RCC to conserve 22 ponds

RAJSHAHI, Oct 07 (BSS): The Rajshahi City Corporation (RCC) has taken an initiative to conserve and renovate 22 natural ponds in the city aiming to retain its surface water resources to protect environment from further degradation.

The city corporation has adopted a Tk 7.52 billion development project titled 'Natural Water Bodies Conservation and Development in Rajshahi City' to protect the ponds. RCC mayor AHM Khairuzzaman Liton approved the project at his office on Sunday.

Liton said 22 ponds will be conserved and necessary land will be acquired for the purpose. "None would be allowed to fill up the ponds", he said.

Under the project, embankments of the ponds will be built with concrete wall and ponds will be excavated. Concrete stair will be constructed in all the developed ponds to make those attractive among city dwellers and facilitate them to use those suitably.

RCC Chief Engineer Ashraful Haque said there were 729 ponds and canals in the metropolis in 2002, but the number declined to 393 now due to indiscriminate dumping of waste and unplanned urbanisation.

Due to usual decline of surface water, he said, dependence on groundwater has been increasing day by day for ensuring smooth water supply to the city dwellers causing rapid decline of groundwater level in the last couple of years.

The situation deteriorates during every dry season leaving most of the hand-driven tubewell inoperative. "We've no alternative to conservation of surface water resources to remain the groundwater table intact," he said.

Once the project is implemented, Ashraful said, the endangered fish species could be protected from extinction apart from increasing fish production.