CHATTOGRAM, May 03: Over 76 per cent of Chattogram City Drainage Project has been completed, Army's 34 Engineering Construction Brigade, the executing agency, said on Wednesday.
But, it could not say that the port city would be fully free from flooding.
Officials said that if the drains are not cleaned regularly, rain water will get blocked and the surrounding areas will be flooded.
The responsibility of the drainage project has fallen on the shoulders of the Chattogram City Corporation (CCC), because it is the responsibility of the City Corporation to keep the drains clean.
Chittagong Development Authority (CDA) chairman Zahirul Alam Dobash said that if the city corporation stops throwing garbage in the canals, the project will provide full benefits.
On Tuesday, project director Lieutenant Colonel Shah Mohammad Ali explained overall progress of the project at the 34 Engineering Construction Brigade office in the city.
Brigade Commander Brigadier General Mohammad Masudur Rahman and CDA Chairman Zahirul Alam Dobash were present.
In 2017, CDA got approval to implement the Tk 5,616.19 crore 'Re-excavation, expansion, renovation and development of canals for removing waterlogging from Chattogram city'.
The project duration, July 2017 to June 2020, was extended till June 2023.
Lt Col Shah Mohammad Ali said, 'The progress of the physical work of the project is 76.25 per cent. There are 57 canals in the city, including 36 within the project area.
Renovation and removal of garbage from 15 canals and construction of retaining walls has been completed, he said.
Work on at least seven more canals will be completed by June and the work on the remaining canals is expected to be completed in the next financial year, he said.
Out of 176 km of retaining wall, work on 118 km has been completed, he said.
All the 45 bridges and six culverts have been built, he said, adding, 15.50 km of drains along roads has been renovated and 10.77 km of new drains has been constructed.
He said that installation of regulators on five canal estuaries was nearing completion.
Besides, 13 out of 42 silt traps have been installed, he said.
The authorities allotted Tk 3,018. 15 crore to implement the project, said officials.
According to the executing agency, the biggest challenge in de-watering the city's utility pipelines passing bellow bridge-culverts at 59 points on canals and drains.
Besides, 18 per cent of the city is inundated by tidal waters at least twice a day due to low bridge-culverts and unplanned urbanisation.
Flooding partially improved after army has almost completed installation of five regulators on estuary of the canal said Lt Col Ali.
CDA and Water Development Board are working separately, he added.
"We are renovating 36 canals. There are 21 more canals outside the project. Out of 1,600 km of drains in the city, we are removing garbage from 320 km. If the remaining 1,300 km is not completely cleared, waterlogging will not end," he said.
Brigadier General Mohammad Masudur Rahman commander of 34 Engineering Construction Brigade said, "We can work only for six months in a year, we have to build a dam on the canal."
Besides, there are many graveyards, we cannot make people suffer. It takes six months to go around the agency's office to move a pipeline. But in a month and a half our bridge-culvert was built, he added.
CDA Chairman Zahirul Alam thanked the army and said, 'We have not worked for two years due to Corona. Hopefully, no tidal water would submerge Agrabad-Halisahar this time.
