The Ministry of Water Resources has proposed a Tk 14.3 billion project to ensure early flood management in the haor region through dredging of 303.58 km of 13 rivers across three districts, excavation of 12.00 km of canals, and development of supporting infrastructure.
The project is expected to protect 165,230 hectares of agricultural land in 16 upazilas of Sunamganj, Kishoreganj, and Netrokona districts from early flooding, safeguarding around 1.5 million tonnes of rice and ensuring greater financial security for farmers, officials at the Planning Commission said.
According to officials, the Agriculture, Water Resources and Rural Institutions Division of the Planning Commission is scheduled to hold a Project Evaluation Committee (PEC) meeting next Thursday to assess the proposal.
The Bangladesh Water Development Board (BWDB) is set to implement the project titled "Development of Early Flood and Integrated Water Resource Management in Haor Area" by June 2029.
Analysis of the proposal shows it was initially formulated in late 2022 with a target completion date of June this year and an estimated cost of Tk 20.65 billion. Following a PEC meeting in August 2024, the Planning Commission returned the proposal with a revised allocation of Tk 7.5 billion.
Although project guidelines require resubmission of the revised Development Project Proposal (DPP) within 20 working days based on PEC recommendations, the Ministry of Water Resources took more than one and a half years to complete and resubmit the revised proposal.
The working paper for the PEC meeting indicates that the Planning Commission will seek clarification on the delay in resubmission. It will also ask for justification of the estimated dredging cost, which is around 3.4 times higher than similar ongoing projects.
Officials said the project will cover 10 upazilas of Sunamganj, five upazilas of Kishoreganj, and Khaliajuri upazila of Netrokona.
Kashmir Reza, president of the Environment and Haor Development Organisation, said ensuring smooth water flow through river dredging and canal re-excavation is a timely and important step to protect crops from early floods.
He noted that such projects are often initiated only after crop losses from flash floods and lose priority once the flood season ends. Despite years of discussion, the project has yet to be approved, he added.
He urged swift approval to reduce future crop and livelihood losses, stressing the need for transparency and accountability in implementation.
The proposal notes that early flash floods remain a persistent problem in the haor region of northeastern Bangladesh, where agriculture and fisheries are the backbone of the local economy.
Major rivers such as the Surma and Kushiyara have lost drainage capacity due to severe siltation, leading to prolonged waterlogging in the haor basin, it says. Delays in floodwater recession frequently damage Boro rice crops, a key contributor to national food security.
This also disrupts the agricultural calendar by delaying seedbed preparation and transplantation. In this context, river dredging and canal re-excavation are considered essential to restore natural drainage and ensure timely water discharge.
The project aims to enhance flood resilience, protect agricultural production, reduce infrastructure damage, and ensure long-term water resource sustainability in the region.
According to the proposal, Tk 12.47 billion, or 87.19 per cent of the total cost, has been allocated for dredging 303.58 km of rivers involving over 64.55 million cubic metres of excavation, with an average cost of Tk 193.13 per cubic metre.
This unit cost is about 3.4 times higher than the average dredging cost of Tk 56.79 per cubic metre under two ongoing projects-the Flood Management Reconstruction Emergency Assistance Project and the Ganges River Dredging and Bank Protection Project.
The Planning Commission is expected to seek justification for the higher unit cost, along with package-wise details of dredging works, including length, width, slope, depth, and earth volume.
It will also emphasise the need to clearly specify dredged material management sites and methods in the document, and require separate breakdowns for capital and maintenance dredging costs to ensure transparency.
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