Canal bank collapse leaves 10 families at risk in Rangpur

At least 10 families have been directly affected and several others are at risk after soil from a canal bank collapsed following re-excavation work in Bishyapur area of Kursha Union under Kaunia upazila in Rangpur.

A kitchen of one family has already completely collapsed, while several other houses are at risk of collapsing. The affected families are spending their days in fear of a major accident as the canal bank could collapse further at any time.

According to local sources, two canal re-excavation projects were undertaken to address waterlogging during the monsoon 4.7 kilometres of the Singamari Dola canal in Kursha Union and 3.7 kilometres of the Dhumnadi canal in Haragach Union. Rangpur Deputy Commissioner Mohammad Ruhul Amin inaugurated the project on May 12.

After the work was completed, severe erosion began along the canal bank in Bishyapur, locals said.
They alleged that the canal bank was excavated deeply and the soil was dumped on water hyacinths in the canal. As a result, the bank became weak, and even light rainfall has caused soil to collapse and the ground beneath houses to erode.

Several houses have already developed cracks, while the kitchen of one family has completely collapsed.

“Suddenly, the soil collapsed and destroyed our kitchen. Now our entire family is living in fear. The main house could also collapse at any time,” said an affected resident.

Upazila Project Implementation Officer (PIO) Mezbahur Rahman said Tk 99,25,337 in unspent project funds had been returned to the government treasury.

“Government money is held in trust for the people. As the work could not be completed within the stipulated time, the unspent Tk 99,25,337 was deposited into the government treasury,” he said.

Kaunia Upazila Nirbahi Officer (UNO) Papia Sultana said excessive rainfall had prevented the work from being completed within the scheduled period.

“The remaining funds were deposited into the government treasury in accordance with the rules. If the ministry provides instructions and a fresh allocation, the remaining canal excavation work will be completed during the dry season of the next fiscal year,” she said

Several locals said the canal re-excavation project had previously drawn attention for various reasons. Although the work was supposed to be carried out by workers, excavators were allegedly used to dig the canal deeply, with the excavated soil dumped on water hyacinths on both sides.

They also said around Tk 1 crore had to be returned to the government treasury because the contractor failed to complete the work within the stipulated time. Despite this, they alleged that adequate supervision and safety measures were not ensured during project implementation, leaving people living along the canal bank in severe distress.

Residents claimed that vulnerable houses were not identified before excavation began and that no effective measures were taken to protect the canal bank. They said one house after another was now at risk of collapse.

They demanded immediate measures to prevent further erosion, compensation for the affected families and an investigation into whether there had been any irregularities in the project.