Reviving Moulvibazar’s ‘dead canal’
Re-excavation brings hope for an end to waterlogging
The Gogalichara canal in Kulaura municipality of Moulvibazar, the only means to drain water, has been a victim of filling and encroachment for many years. As a result, even a little rain causes waterlogging on the roads in the area, creating public nuisance.
The encroachment made the canal so narrow that locals now call it "Mora Gogalichara", which can be translated as "the dead canal".
However, there is renewed hope as the Water Development Board (WDB) recently started re-excavating the canal under the "River, Canal and Beel Re-dredging Program in 64 Districts (Phase 1)".
The job was given to M/s M Rahman, a contracting firm from Mymensingh, with an estimated cost of about Tk 64 lakh. The work began on February 19 and is expected to be completed by June 30.
According to Kulaura municipality authorities, the Gogalichara canal originates from the hills of Gazipur area of Moulvibazar Sadar upazila, passes through various areas of the municipality, and joins Fanai river at Kadipur union.
Waterlogging is a perennial problem for the municipality, and the re-excavation work is a step towards resolving the issue. The boundaries of the canal have been marked before the work began, and the residents have been requested to remove any illegal structures.
Fanai is connected to Hakaluki haor. During a visit to the site, it was found that re-excavation is underway with excavators in Sonapur, Uchlapara, and Dakshin Magura parts of the canal. However, some people have built culverts and boundary walls on both sides of the ridge, which must be removed before the work can be completed, said project insiders.
The once drought-prone canal has suffered due to a lack of necessary measures to protect it. The canal was once wide and flowing, but now, it has basically turned into a narrow drain, said local Abul Hossain. He hopes that the re-excavation work will put an end to their suffering from flooding. Other residents echoed the same.
Sadek Mia, a local farmer, said that cultivation is not possible in croplands due to long waterlogging.
Apart from re-excavation, the municipal authorities have taken the initiative to de-encroach the canal, and after the work is completed, a road will be constructed on both sides of the waterway in some places.
Mayor Sipar Uddin Ahmed emphasised that waterlogging is a perennial problem for the municipality, and the re-excavation work is a step towards resolving the issue.
The boundaries of the canal have been marked before the work began, and the residents have been requested to remove any illegal structures, he said.
Al Amin Sarkar, Deputy Assistant Engineer of WDB Kulaura Region, who is supervising the re-excavation work of the canal, said that about 80 percent of the work has already been completed and is expected to be finished within the stipulated time.