Project for excavating water bodies

The Executive Committee of National Economic Council (Ecnec) on Tuesday approved 12 projects, costing Tk 10,331 crore. Among these, the nationwide project for the development of ponds and canals in order to preserve surface water through re-excavating ponds and canals, and at the same time, create jobs for locals youth, is one which deserves praise. If implemented in a transparent and accountable way, and in time, this would be a good step towards tackling two very important issues.

The Tk 1335 crore project, which is scheduled to conclude in 2023, aims to re-excavate 2,532 government (khas) ponds and canals. The loss of the country's water bodies, especially canals, has added to the chronic waterlogging that it faces now. As we have seen this year, the situation has been especially dire in Chittagong, and parts of Dhaka, where little rain resulted in flooded streets. Reportedly, a list of ponds and canals has already been made through a country-wide survey. All this is good news—and when we factor in the jobs that will be created for the local unemployed youth, it gives hope.

But, the success of this project will be largely dependent on how transparently it can be implemented—graft, nepotism and mismanagement have become endemic to our public welfare projects. Strict oversight and periodic evaluations are of crucial importance here to ensure accountability.

If successful, this could be the first of a series of projects to recover other waterbodies in the country, which over the years have been lost to encroachment or siltation. Preserving surface water would not only guard us against waterlogging and flooding, but also ease the burden on underground water sources for irrigation needs. We look forward to the results this project would yield, and hope that it is only the first of a long-term state project to recover these water bodies.