Ctg waterlogging worsens as construction of sluice gates goes slow

Waterlogging, a persistent problem in Chattogram, has recently worsened with high tides frequently submerging different areas of the city, causing suffering to people and hurting businesses.

Businesses in the port city especially suffer as high tides regularly inundate shops in Khatunganj, the country's biggest wholesale market located beside the Karnaphuli River.

Two government organisations – the Chattogram Development Authority (CDA) and the Bangladesh Water Development Board (BWDB) – took up two projects several years ago to build 40 sluice gates at canals in the city to remedy flooding and waterlogging, but none of them has been completed yet.

The construction of 26 sluice gates under the projects is currently going on, while work on the remaining 14 has not started yet.

Extensions of the projects have led to a rise in the construction cost of the sluice gates from Tk200 crore to Tk800 crore, according to sources.

The Chattogram Development Authority (CDA) took up the project to build 17 sluice gates in 2017. The project was supposed to end in June 2020, but it has been extended to December 2023 in two phases.

The construction of 15 out of the 17 sluice gates under the CDA project has been going on, while the construction of the remaining two is yet to begin.

CDA Executive Engineer and Project Director Rajib Das told The Business Standard that the project is taking time due to a lack of allocation of funds and complexities regarding land acquisition.

Besides, pumps and other equipment needed for the sluice gates cannot be readymade in any country. They need to be built in foreign factories as per the requirements of the specific sites. The Covid-19 pandemic has also contributed to the delay in the project, said Rajib Das.

Meanwhile, the BWDB initiated the project to construct 23 sluice gates in 2019. The work was supposed to end in June 2022, but only 11% of it has so far been covered.

Under this project, sluice gates will be constructed at the mouths of 13 canals connected to the Karnaphuli River and 10 canals connected to the Halda River. So far, the BWDB has started work on only 11 of those sluice gates. The project has been extended to June 2023.

"Work on the construction of the remaining 12 sluice gates under the project is getting delayed as their designs have to be changed due to a lack of land," Ramzan Ali Pramanik, chief engineer of the BWDB in Chattogram, told TBS.

Visiting the areas on Wednesday, our correspondent found that Chaktai, Khatunganj, Asadganj, Agrabad and CDA residential areas have been submerged due to high tides.

Sagir Ahmed, general secretary of Khatunganj Trade and Industries Association, told TBS that floods caused by the high tides have become a bigger problem than the waterlogging resulting from the rains.

"Several government agencies have taken initiatives to construct sluice gates at canals to remedy the problems, but the slow pace of project work is prolonging the crisis," said Sagir Ahmed.

"In order to keep Chattogram's industries and businesses running, the construction of the sluice gates as well as the projects for alleviating the waterlogging crisis should be completed as soon as possible," he added.