After seven months, the Chattogram Development Authority started building a bamboo fence along the bank of Jamal Khan canal in the Hem Sen Lane area of the port city.

The move came days after The Daily Star published a report on the issue, "Jamal Khan canal: A deathtrap lies waiting", on its website on Sunday.

According to locals, a portion of three buildings in the area were built occupying the land of the canal.

The CDA started an eviction drive to reclaim the land of the canal in the last week of January. Accordingly, the CDA mobile court dismantled the illegal portion of the buildings in the area during the drives.

CDA has been working in this canal as part of the mega project being implemented to address waterlogging.

According to locals, the work on the Jamal Khan canal stopped in April.

Lt Col Ferdous Ahmed, project director of the CDA mega project, said, "After getting information from your newspaper, I talked to the local sub-contractor of the project and instructed him to secure the exposed bank of the canal with a fence."

On Thursday, it was found that some workers were building a bamboo fence along the canal. However, locals said the fence seemed to be fragile and weak.

Ashraful Islam, a local, said, "It is a good step taken by the CDA authority but the fence seems to be too fragile... I doubt whether the fence can withstand a strong wind."

Asked, Ferdous said the fence was not a permanent solution. "We will start working on the canal very soon."

It is to be noted that at least 11 people were killed and many others injured by falling into unfenced canals and drains in Chattogram since 2017.