Building per km polders cost Tk 150-200m: Minister

Water Resources Minister Barrister Anisul Islam Mahmud on Wednesday said Tk 150 million to 200m will be needed to build a kilometre of coastal or river embankment to stop erosion with a view to protecting lives and property of local people. ‘Construction of embankment is very costly. Building per metre of polders costs at least Tk 0.15m,’ he said at a programme in the city. Speaking as the chief guest, Anisul Islam Mahmud said Bangladesh is one of the biggest deltas with the estuary of 3 rivers systems – Ganges, Brahmaputra and Meghna (GBM). He said: ‘These three major rivers originated outside the country. So, when we go for water management, it’s a big challenge for us. It is very difficult to manage water problems in our country without cooperation of upper countries (Bhutan, India and another country).’ The Water Resources Minister said that around 1.5 billion tonnes of silt run through these rivers each year accelerating river erosion. ‘When riverbank or coastal erosion takes place, local people become destitute,’ He said the coastal polders were built by the Water Development Board in the 1970s (40 years ago), but there were no maintenance of many polders since these were built, according to a news agency.