‘Canal re-excavation must align with spatial planning’
Bangladesh Institute of Planners (BIP) urged the government to treat the ongoing canal re-excavation programme not merely as a dredging initiative but as a key part of integrated spatial planning, water governance, and climate adaptation.
Canal re-excavation is a necessary beginning, but to achieve sustainable results, it must be linked to land-use control, natural drainage preservation, waste management, climate adaptation, biodiversity conservation, and long-term maintenance, BIP said in the paper.
BIP cited research showing that rapid urbanisation and encroachment on natural waterways in Dhaka have severely weakened the city’s drainage capacity.
The institute presented on Saturday its position paper titled “Canal Re-excavation Programme: In the Context of Water Management, Climate Adaptation and Spatial Planning.”
A 2023 study warned that continued damage to canals and natural drainage corridors could nearly double flood-affected areas in parts of Dhaka by 2042, raising them from 4.05 percent to 8.47 percent.
The institute said re-excavation would restore water flow and reduce waterlogging in some areas but warned that without assured connectivity between drains, canals and rivers, and without regular desiltation, excavated canals risk becoming clogged again within a short period.
BIP drew attention to findings from a 2024 study showing that Dhaka lost approximately 69 percent of its wetlands between 1990 and 2020. During the same period, land surface temperatures rose by between 3.44°C and 9.35°C, most sharply in areas where wetlands had disappeared fastest.
Without protective measures, the study projected that between 74 and 90 percent of Dhaka’s remaining wetlands could be lost by 2050.
BIP called for wetland conservation zones, ecological buffer strips along canal banks, prohibition of illegal structures and mandatory blue-green network requirements in urban planning regulations.
Citing an ActionAid Bangladesh initiative in Badokhali Beel in Barguna, BIP noted that community-led re-excavation of a three-kilometre canal restored natural water flow, increased crop and vegetable production, and helped farmers and fishermen recover their livelihoods, demonstrating that participatory implementation yields more sustainable results.
In the drought-prone Barind region of northwest Bangladesh, BIP referenced a research, showing that re-excavated canals, ponds and wetlands could support Managed Aquifer Recharge, a method of directing surplus rainwater or treated wastewater into the ground to replenish depleted underground aquifers.
BIP warned that re-excavation without simultaneous action on pollution would be self-defeating.
Uncontrolled solid waste, domestic sewage and industrial effluent discharge would rapidly degrade water quality in restored canals, triggering eutrophication, a process where excess nutrients cause unchecked algal growth, depleting oxygen and killing aquatic life.
The institute said re-excavation must be accompanied by functional sewage treatment plants, effluent treatment plants, solid waste collection systems and strict enforcement against direct discharge into waterways.
BIP identified five structural weaknesses undermining current efforts: the absence of a coordinated national water body plan; recurring re-encroachment after excavation; unclear long-term maintenance funding and accountability; weak coordination among water development, local government, urban development, environment, agriculture, fisheries and planning agencies; and inadequate linkage between re-excavation programmes and frameworks such as the Bangladesh Delta Plan 2100 and the National Adaptation Plan 2023-2050.
“Unless these limitations are addressed, the canal re-excavation programme will generate short-term public optimism but will not deliver the results the country needs,” BIP cautioned.
BIP put forward an eleven-point recommendation calling for: a national water resource plan mapping all rivers, canals, beels, wetlands and drainage corridors; river-basin-based planning integrating upstream-downstream and urban-rural linkages; GIS, remote sensing and LiDAR-based digital monitoring; mandatory alignment with the Bangladesh Delta Plan 2100 and NAP 2023-2050; parallel rollout of sewage and waste management infrastructure; environmental impact assessments and soil quality testing for all projects; ecological buffer zones and biodiversity corridors along canal banks; community-based management involving farmers, fishers and local residents; designated maintenance funding and citizen reporting systems; professional planners’ involvement in technical oversight; and strict enforcement against re-encroachment.
BIP said it stands ready to provide technical assistance, policy advisory support, spatial planning frameworks, GIS and remote sensing-based analysis, stakeholder consultation and monitoring framework development.
Water management is not merely an engineering matter, it encompasses land use, environment, society, economics, livelihoods and administrative coordination,” the institute said.
It called on the government to reframe the canal re-excavation programme as a broader national initiative for waterway restoration and spatial planning.
