Restore Leinga canal in Chattogram
We are disappointed to learn about the fate of Leinga canal in Chattogram's Karnaphuli upazila, which has been filled up just two years after its excavation. Reportedly, the Bangladesh Water Development Board (BWDB) dredged a nine-kilometre stretch of the canal in 2021 under a project intended to restore its natural flow. However, upon completion in 2022, heaps of excavated earth and garbage were left piled along its banks. These were eventually washed back into the canal by rain, reducing it to a narrow ditch. It's baffling why the BWDB would leave excavated earth on the banks instead of disposing of it responsibly. Wasn't it part of the project to clear it as well? Such oversight from a state agency is simply unacceptable.
A few decades ago, this 12-kilometre-long and 20-45 foot-wide canal was the lifeline of the area. Farmers relied on it for irrigation, boats used it for transporting goods, and it acted as a natural drainage channel for rainwater into the Karnaphuli River. However, siltation and indiscriminate dumping of garbage gradually blocked its flow, causing severe waterlogging along its banks. The BWDB initiated the project to address this problem, but the canal became clogged again due to its mismanagement.
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Unfortunately, this counterproductive practice of leaving excavated material after dredging canals and rivers on their banks is all too common across the country. In Dhaka, for instance, city corporations often leave canal and drain waste on the banks or roads. This defeats the very purpose of cleaning or excavation drives, resulting in further public suffering. Moreover, such unplanned work squanders public funds. In the case of Leinga canal, for instance, around Tk 2 crore was effectively wasted. This is unacceptable.
Over the decades, unplanned development projects have cost the nation thousands of crores, but to little avail. The situation was particularly bad during the 15-plus years Awami League rule when corruption and irregularities regularly drained resources meant for public interest projects. This must stop. We urge the interim government to ensure transparency and accountability in all such initiatives so that public money is no longer squandered due to the inefficiency or corruption of project authorities. The BWDB must answer for the failed Leinga canal excavation and take immediate steps to restore the flow of this water body.
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