KHULNA, Aug 29: Director General (DG) of Bangladesh Water Development Board (BWDB), Engineer Md. Enayet Ullah has said that the government has initiated a feasibility study to resolve the long-standing water-logging problem at Beel Dakatia.
He made the remarks recently while visiting the Shailmari regulator in Dumuria amid inclement weather.
The study covers river dredging of the Shailmari River in Dumuria, re-excavation of 24 canals, and the Bhobodoha water-logging mitigation projects.
The aim is to develop an integrated water management plan to ensure effective drainage of the entire area. Once the study is completed and projects are implemented, a long-term solution to the water-logging crisis will be achieved, he added.
Later, the BWDB DG visited the Kalighat regulator, Rangpur Union Parishad, water-logged areas, and the cutting point of Basin 91 of the Hamkura River (Sandhya Canal).
During the visit, he directed the Dumuria UNO to ensure proper water discharge by opening the Kalighat regulator, removing earlier obstacles through mutual understanding, and taking steps for dismantling illegal dams on the Kalighat Canal.
Meanwhile, local people demanded the revival of the dead Hamkura River and the implementation of TRM (Tidal River Management) projects in the surrounding lowlands.
Mohammad Saif Uddin, Supervising Engineer of Design Circle-2 of BWDB, Md. Aminul Islam, Chief Engineer of the South-Western Region in Khulna, BM Abdul Momin, Supervising Engineer of Jashore Water Development Circle, Ujjal Kumar Sen, Executive Engineer, and Muhammad Al-Amin, UNO of Dumuria, among others, were present during the visit.
Villagers of Billdakatia have been struggling with water-logging since 1988. Over the last two years, vast areas of Dumuria and Fulltala upazilas have been severely inundated. The Shailmari 10-vent regulator is the only drainage outlet for these areas.
However, heavy siltation has recently choked the Shailmari and Bhadra rivers, causing severe water-logging every monsoon.
Currently, around 30,000 families in Dumuria are living in water-logged conditions. With an allocation of Tk 14.5 million, dredging work is underway to remove silt from the Shailmari regulator to the Salta estuary.
Additionally, two pumps of 35-cusec are in operation during high tide and discharging water through sluice gates during low tide.
A feasibility study is also ongoing for a Tk 500 million project that includes 15.5 km dredging of the Shailmari River, installation of five high-capacity pumps, and re-excavation of 24 canals.
