Chattogram Bureau :
Mayor of the Chattogram City Corporation (CCC) Md Rezaul Karim Chowdhury commented that the Baripara canal digging project will relieve one million people of the city from the misery of flooding and waterlogging.
Almost 58 per cent of the project has already been completed.
He made this comment while inspecting the progress of the ‘Canal Digging from Bahaddarhat Baripara to Karnaphuli River’ project yesterday.
The Mayor said that if the canal excavation is completed, about one million residents of 8 wards including Shulakbahar, Mohra, Bahaddarhat, Baklia and Chaktai will be freed from the curse of waterlogging.
The 2.9km long canal will be 65 feet wide.
There will be two roads of 20 feet and five and a half kilometers long on both sides of the canal and two walkways of six feet width each.
The canal will start from Baripara through Noornagar housing, from Waizpara to Bolirhat and join the Karnaphuli River.
The project director Farhadul Alam said that the project work has been slightly delayed due to the recent record rains.
Apart from this there are some complications related to land acquisition.
1 thousand 362 crore 62 lakh rupees project has already completed 58 per cent. Day and night work is going on to complete the project at the earliest.
Chattogram Development Authority (CDA)’s drainage master plan in 1995 recommended the digging of a 2.9km long canal from Bahaddarhat Baripara to Karnaphuli River to alleviate waterlogging in the region.
Almost two decades after this, in June 2014, the Baripara canal excavation project was approved in the meeting of the Executive Committee of the National Economic Council (ECNEC).
After the implementation of the project, the water of the area of 2 thousand 264 hectares will be drained and flow into the Karnaphuli river.
Additional Chief Engineer of Chasic Munirul Huda, Mayor’s Private Secretary Abul Hashem, Supervising Engineer Shaheen Ul Islam Chowdhury and others were present during the inspection.