Naf River polder project cost likely to rise by 349pc to Tk 636.24cr

The Bangladesh Water Development Board (BWDB) has proposed to sharply increase the cost of an ongoing project by 349 per cent from Tk 141.85 crore to Tk 636.24 crore.
The project aims at rehabilitation of polders along the Naf River (1st Amendment) in Ukhia and Teknaf Upazilas to increase security on the Bangladesh-Myanmar border in the Cox's Bazar district.
The project approved four years ago has no physical and financial progress so far. The Project Evaluation Committee (PEC) has suggested formation of a committee comprising representatives of Planning Commission, Agriculture Department, Finance Department, IMED and other concerned agencies to take stock of the project and its cost.
Question arises as to why 26 acre of land to be acquired under the revised project while there was no provision of land acquisition in the original project. Moreover, the originally approved project had earmarked Tk 22 crore for construction of drainage infrastructure and removal of water control infrastructure. It has been now proposed to increase to Tk 102 crore and the overall increase to hit Tk 124.57 crore.
Matiur Rahman, member of the Planning Commission said the PEC (Project Evaluation Committee) had met earlier on the project. The cost of the project is increasing due to various reasons. However, those concerned have been asked to explain why it is so much increasing. More PEC meetings lie ahead. It will examine the expenditure issues again, he said.
The Water Development Board said that to ensure security on Bangladesh-Myanmar border, solar street lights on the embankment, construction of HBB road on the embankment, bituminous carpeting on the embankment, bridges, culverts, BGB bays and MG bunkers at various places need to be built.
Moreover, duty post, sentry post will be replaced. It explains the stiff rise in project cost. Proposals have been sent to the Planning Commission to revise the original project.
ECNEC approved the project in October 2017 and its implementation was mapped out from October 2017 to June 2020 at a cost of Tk 141.65 crore with full government funding. The project was later approved by the Ministry of Water Resources and implementation time was extended to June 2021 without any increase in cost.
According to the sources, 61.73 km of embankment dam will be rehabilitated and rebuilt under the project. Construction work of 1.63 km dam is increasing in the cost in revised DPP. Moreover, 33 drainage infrastructures will be constructed and 48 water control infrastructures will be removed along with many other work components.
Prabir Kumar Goswami, executive engineer of the Water Development Board (Cox's Bazar), said that the proposal to amend the project has gone to the Planning Commission. The scope of the project has increased. New works have been added. Basically, the cost of the project is increasing for these reasons.