Hakaluki Haor canal excavation to benefit 15 villages

Excavation work on a canal of the An Fanai River in Hakaluki Haor under Kulaura Upazila of Moulvibazar began on Sunday at a cost of Tk 2.06 crore as part of the implementation of Prime Minister Tarique Rahman’s election promise. Thousands of farmers and fishermen from around 15 villages in three unions along the banks of Hakaluki Haor will be benefited.

Upazila Project Implementation Officer Raju Chandra Pal said Tk 2 crore 6 lakh 3 thousand 80 has been allocated for excavating 3.9 kilometers of an approximately eight-kilometer canal under the Upazila Administration and the Department of Disaster Management.

He said excavation began on Sunday morning but was delayed earlier due to continuous rain and adverse weather conditions. The work is expected to be completed within June, with round-the-clock supervision to ensure proper implementation.

Bhukshimail Union Parishad Chairman and Project Chairman Azizur Rahman Monir said that once the work is completed, thousands of farmers and fishermen in the haor-adjacent villages will benefit.

He mentioned several villages in Bhukshimail, Baramchal, and Bhatera unions that will benefit directly from the project.

He also added that the canal will help drain stagnant water from small canals and beels, ensure adequate irrigation for Boro cultivation, and boost fish production in the haor region.

He further said that attempts to spread misinformation against the project are strongly condemned by local residents.

Earlier, on May 14, Alhaj Shawkatul Islam Shoku MP inaugurated the canal excavation programme. Meanwhile, before the work began, a group posted a photo from another area on social media, alleging irregularities in the project, which led to the spread of misinformation and public confusion, drawing criticism from locals.

On Sunday afternoon, a visit to the Chakirmora area of the An Fanai River project site showed excavation work underway on the previously unused and silted canal adjacent to the Fanai River in Hakaluki Haor.

Local public representatives of Bhukshimail Union Parishad and officials from the Project Implementation Office were seen supervising the work.

Locals said thousands of hectares of agricultural land on both sides of the canal belong to residents of Bhukshimail, Baramchal, and Bhatera unions.

They added that once the canal is excavated, farmers in the region will benefit significantly, and fish production is expected to increase.

Local UP members Shahed Ahmed, Atiqur Rahman Shanti, farmer Akmal Ali, and Lokman Ahmed said the canal excavation has been a long-standing demand of the local people.

They added that, with the sincere efforts of MP Shawkatul Islam Shoku, the project is being implemented by the current government. However, they strongly criticized what they described as propaganda against the development project on social media prior to the start of work.

They said farmers suffer greatly during the dry season due to water scarcity for Boro cultivation, resulting in reduced rice yields. They believe the project will benefit more than a thousand farmers across the three unions.