Tk 15.549b project gets underway to bring Ichhamati River back to life

OUR CORRESPONDENT
PABNA, Jan 16: At long last ending all speculations, work has gone underway to resuscitate the ailing river Ichhamati in Pabna and to rescue it from its present perilous state through implementation of a mega project.
The project involving Tk15.549 billion (Tk1,554.90 crore) is being executed under the supervision of the army.
Environmentalists and people living on the banks of the river believe that if the project is implemented, a thorough change will come into the nature and environment- that is the ecosystem- of the neighbourhood.
Conscious people of Pabna had been agitating for two decades for resuscitation of the deceased river through stopping encroachment and pollution.
Under the project, a 10-kilometre road will be constructed along the riverside, which will free
Pabna district town from perennial traffic congestion to a remarkable extent.
The Ichhamati River flows through the central part of Pabna town. At one time, large sailing boats used to ply this river, which connected the Padma and Jamuna rivers.
Traders used to transport goods a lot using the river. Now in its death throes, the river was ones home to various species of fish including hilsa.
President Mohammed Shahabuddin took the initiative to revive the Ichhamati, fulfilling a long-cherished dream of the residents of his native town.
Executive Committee of the National Economic Council (ECNEC) allocated the total fund amounting to Tk15.549 billion for the project.
The project work includes dredging out about 110 kilometer area of the river including connecting canals, construction of 10 kilometre drains along both banks of the river in the central part of the town, construction and reconstruction of 23 bridges over the river, construction of 10 kilometer walkways and 56 jetties on the riverbank in the town and tree plantation.
The long-awaited project aiming to give the river a new lease of life started on May 25, 2024, bringing joy to the residents of Pabna.
The Bangladesh Water Development Board (BWDB) launched the "Ichhamati River Revival" project with a budget of Tk15.549 billion.
Project Director Shudhangshu Kumar Sarkar told The Financial Express, "We started the dredging activity in Madhpur area of Santhia upazila of Pabna on May 25 under the supervision of the 24th Engineer Construction Brigade of the Bangladesh Army, which is scheduled to be completed by March 31, 2027."
Initially, work was started with five dredges, but currently about 150 dredges are being used, officials said.
The total area to be dredged includes 33.772 kilometers of the main river, 44.072 kilometers of connecting canals, 20 kilometers of Sutikhali River and 12.37 kilometers of Bharara Canal to restore water flow.
Shudhangshu Kumar Sarkar, who is also the Superintending Engineer of the Water Development Board in Pabna, added, "Other work will start after dredging the main river first."
Apart from dredging, the project work includes construction of 10 km retention wall, 10 km drains, 23 new bridges, 56 jetties for boat parking and 10 km walkways. The project also plans to plant 42,310 trees along the riverbanks for beautification.
Dredging work has already started in the Madhpur-Jagnathpur area in Santhia upazila; it is progressing at a rapid pace, the official said.
The 82km long Ichhamati river, which originates from the Padma River and reaches Hurasagar in Bera upazila, flows through Pabna district headquarters. However, it has been severely affected by encroachment and pollution for decades.
The authorities of the WDB said the work was handed over to the Army Engineering Department after the project was approved by the ECNEC at a meeting last year.
SM Mahbubul Alam, founder of the Ichhamati River Protection Movement, told the FE "The people of Pabna have been trying to protect the Ichhamati River for a long time, which is crucial for their livelihood."
Encroachers have illegally occupied the land of the river in the past few decades by forging documents.
The BWDB has identified 1,053 illegal structures on the Ichhamati riverbanks.
In a bid to avoid action in eviction drive, encroachers filed a good number of cases, 73 of which are still pending in court, authorities said.
Authorities of the WDB also told The Financial Express that the Ichhamati River is being dredged according to the cadastral survey (CS) map and illegal structures are being removed and dug out following the court's directive.
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