Ctg city's waterlogging woes to linger as mitigation project delayed further
Chattogram residents' hopes for relief from perennial waterlogging have been dashed as the city's flagship drainage project faces a further three-year delay and a staggering 54% cost overrun due to flawed and incomplete design specifications, coupled with implementation complexities.
In 2017, the Chittagong Development Authority (CDA) embarked on the ambitious "Chittagong Waterlogging Removal Project (CWRP)," aiming to complete the project by June 2020.
However, even after over six years, the project remains incomplete, leaving residents frustrated. The tenure of the Tk5,616.50 crore project was previously extended till June 2023, but only 76% of the work completed so far.
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The Executive Committee of the National Economic Council (Ecnec) on 16 November approved a revision of the project, extending its tenure again till June 2026 and increasing the cost to Tk8,626.62 crore.
The project includes the renovation of 36 canals, the construction of drainage, girder bridges, culverts and water retaining walls, and the making of reservoirs for flood water conservation.
Being implemented by Bangladesh Army's engineering brigade, the project has been hampered from the outset by flawed design and a lack of a feasibility study.
The project's progress has been further hindered by delays in increasing funding for over a year, jeopardising its successful completion.
The CDA had to conduct a feasibility study in the midst of project execution. After the survey, it presented a revised project proposal on 22 September 2021, reflecting a cost increase to Tk10,420 crore.
However, upon scrutinising the cost escalation, a committee from the Ministry of Housing and Public Works reduced the project cost to Tk9,526 crore. Subsequently, the Project Evaluation Committee (PEC) further evaluated the project and lowered the cost to Tk8,629 crore on 31 August 2022.
Upon receiving the revised project proposal from the Ministry of Housing and Public Works, the Ministry of Finance expressed reservations about the substantial cost increase.
The CDA, faced with the demand to shoulder half of the additional expenses, found itself in a precarious position as this exceeded its financial capabilities. Consequently, the project's progress stalled due to prolonged delays in fund release.
To address the cost increase of Tk3,013 crore, the government has allocated Tk1,506 crore in funding. The remaining Tk1,506 crore will be split evenly, with Tk753 crore provided as government loans and the remaining Tk753 crore borne by the Chittagong Development Authority from its own resources.
A project without a feasibility study
Embarked upon in 2017 without a comprehensive feasibility study or adherence to Chattogram's 1995 master plan, the project has failed to address the city's waterlogging woes.
Despite 76% completion, the project has yielded no tangible benefits, leaving the city vulnerable to flooding. The recent monsoon season saw the entire city submerged multiple times, causing widespread distress among residents.
According to experts, the project was rushed through without adequate expert consultation. This resulted in design flaws that necessitated scrapping the initial plans after project initiation, leading to a staggering 54% cost escalation.
Furthermore, entrusting project implementation to the capacity-challenged CDA has introduced further complications. Chattogram's heightened vulnerability to climate change, a crucial factor, has been overlooked in the project's design and execution, said experts.
In a roundtable held in Chattogram city on 19 August, Engineer Delwar Majumder, the former chairman of the Institution of Engineers Bangladesh (IEB), Chattogram Centre, said, "The project was undertaken without conducting a proper feasibility study, and the CDA could not execute such a complex project. The government approved the project without assessing the CDA's capabilities, and now the citizens of Chattogram city are bearing the brunt of this oversight."
The residents of the city alleged that instead of rescuing the encroached canals, the canals were narrowed by raising walls. As a result, rain and tidal water cannot go down the canals quickly.
On the other hand, after the start of the project work, there was a lot of mismanagement, which led to the death of at least three people.
Engineer Subhas Chandra Barua, a seasoned city planner, also expressed his concerns to TBS regarding the project's execution, highlighting multiple flaws in its planning that cast doubt on its ability to alleviate the city's long-standing waterlogging issues.
Shortcomings of the project
The project was initially conceived based on Chattogram Wasa's Drainage Master Plan. However, amidst criticism, the CDA initiated a feasibility study approximately a year after project approval.
The CDA signed a memorandum of understanding with the Bangladesh Army on 9 April 2018 to implement the project. The engineering brigade of the army started the project work by renovating the canals.
Later the Army hired a consultancy firm, the Centre for Environment and Geographic Information Services (CEGIS), for a comprehensive survey on waterlogging. As a result, the design and operation underwent major changes.
Out of the city's 57 canals, only 36 were incorporated into the project's initial scope. Subsequently, the project underwent significant revisions, including the addition of retaining walls along the banks of the canals, an increase in the volume of sludge removal from canals, and modifications to critical components such as the installation of tidal regulators and silt traps.
As sea levels continue to rise, new areas of Chattogram city are becoming increasingly vulnerable to flooding. To combat this growing threat, the project aims to install tidal regulators at the mouths of all canals, effectively preventing tidal water from inundating the city's vulnerable areas.
Md Rashidul Hasan, an urban planning expert and assistant professor at the Urban and Regional Planning Department of Chittagong University of Engineering and Technology, attributed the project's shortcomings to a lack of coordination.
He identified several critical flaws, including deviating from Wasa's drainage master plan, rushing into project execution without proper planning, and failing to incorporate silt traps to capture hill sand.
Additionally, he pointed out that road elevation during city renovations has lowered the relative position of many houses and shops, an aspect that was overlooked during project planning.
Chief Engineer of the CDA Kazi Hasan Bin Shams told TBS, "The initial project proposal was formulated based on the Chattogram Wasa's Drainage Master Plan. We do not know how thoroughly the Wasa conducted their study before making the plan."
