Ctg waterlogging projects yield no results, only add more costs

Despite four mega projects and Tk4,339 crore spent so far to remove waterlogging in Chattogram, there has been no visible improvement in five years. Meanwhile, the costs of projects have kept increasing over time.

Initially, the total cost for the four projects was estimated at Tk10,803 crore, which increased to Tk16,419 crore.

The Chattogram Development Authority (CDA) undertook an ambitious project in 2017, claiming that waterlogging would be eliminated in just three years. After five years, it is saying the extra money is being spent due to preparing the development project proposal (DPP) without a proper feasibility study, wrong design and not adhering to the master plan.

Although the CDA is the implementing agency for the Tk5,617 crore mega project, 34 Engineer Construction Brigade of the Bangladesh Army is doing the construction work. With 62% progress made so far, the 3-year project has been extended for another 3 years in two phases.

The revised project documents state that in order to adapt to the environment of Chattogram, there is a need to significantly change the design laid down in the original DPP. Due to this construction cost has increased significantly.

Delwar Majumder, former chairman of the Institution of Engineers Bangladesh (IEB), Chattogram unit, said, "The CDA hastily formulated the DPP without proper analysis and survey. The project is taking more time to implement due to design errors. Due to this the cost has also increased."

However, when the project director CDA, executive engineer Ahmed Moinuddin, was asked about the additional cost, he declined to comment.

Work on canals stuck

In August 2017, the ECNEC approved the project, "Re-excavation, expansion, renovation and development of canals to alleviate water logging in Chattogram city" at a cost of Tk 5,616 crore.

The major obstacle to this project of Chattogram Development Authority (CDA), which started in April 2018, has been land acquisition. At the time of approval, the compensation for land acquisition was one and a half times, which was later fixed three times after amendments to the law.

So far only 300 katha out of 6,516 katha allotted for the project have been acquired. As a result, renovation work of 18 canals of the city is yet to be completed.

It is not only the CDA but also the Chattogram City Corporation which is responsible for the failure to resolve waterlogging. Following on the city corporation's proposal in 2014, the ECNEC approved a project to excavate a new canal from Bahaddarhat Baroipara to Karnaphuli. The cost of the project was estimated at Tk326 crore. At present the cost of that project has increased to Tk1,256.15 crore. The deadline for the project was till June 2017, but work on the project has not started yet.

Installation of 12 regulators still pending

On 25 April 2017, ECNEC approved the project "Construction of road from Kalurghat bridge to Chaktai canal along the banks of Karnaphuli river" at a cost of Taka 2,310 crore. Under the project, regulators and pump houses are to be set up on 12 canals to alleviate waterlogging in important areas of the city, including Chaktai, Khatunganj, one of the country's consumer goods markets. Currently construction is ongoing on 10 canals.

However, due to a financial crunch, it will not be possible to finish the construction before the current monsoon season, said Rajiv Das, project director and CDA executive engineer.

Never-ending misery for city dwellers

Despite the waterlogging projects and their increased costs, the problem of waterlogging in Chattogram has worsened over time.

Due to the rainfall since Friday, almost all the city roads, including Agrabad Access Road, Jamal Khan, Boro Pole, Choto Pole, Patenga, EPZ, Prabartak Intersection, Sholoshohor, and Dampara were flooded. Low-lying areas, including Halishahar, Saraipara, Muradpur, Gate No 2, Oxygen Intersection, Chawkbazar, Bahaddarhat, Bakolia, and Gosaildanga, have also been inundated.

Even City Mayor Md Rezaul Karim Chowdhury's Baddarhat residence has gone underwater, effectively washing away his tall claims of monsoon preparedness in the process. Important establishments, including hospitals and police stations, have also been submerged, creating a sense of chaos and panic in the port city. Seven meetings called by the mayor have been cancelled because he could not even go to the city hall.

Incessant rainfall for the last three days has turned Chattogram city into a flooded mess, causing immense sufferings for city dwellers.

The local meteorological office recorded 237.7 millimetres (mm) of rainfall in the port city in the 24 hours till 9am on Monday. The downpour, which started on Friday night, is likely to continue, the Met Office warned.

"I have been doing business here for 40 years," Sukhranjan Das, a businessman from Bahaddarhat, told The Business Standard.

"I have never seen so much water like this time. Basically, all the canals have been closed in the name of renovation, so all the water in the city has flowed into the streets and houses," he added.

Architect and urban planner Zarina Hossain told The Business Standard, "The CDA, the project implementing agency, is doing its own thing. This is the ultimate waste of people's money and time. Work on the project began without a realistic plan. It's still going the wrong way."