S A Shofiee, Sylhet:
Water-logging and flooding have become a growing concern for the residents of Sylhet city, with locals expressing anxiety every time the monsoon season begins.
In June last year, the expatriate-dominated city of Sylhet was submerged in flood water three times in a row in just 15 days. Boats ply the city’s roads frequently. This time, concerns have arisen even before the monsoon starts.
Now, the scope of Sylhet City Corporation (SCC) has increased from 27 wards to 42 wards. There are no elected public representatives in the city hall. Although the administrative officials are performing their duties, they are not that aware of the condition of the city’s wards. Moreover, there is no permanent planner in the city hall.
The city’s master plan is also only on paper. No one knows what is in that master plan. In addition, the project to deal with water-logging has also been stopped. Although there were three new projects worth Tk 10,000 crore, all three have not yet seen the light of day. Two of these projects are awaiting approval from the ministry, and another will be submitted soon.
This is not the end. Reliable sources in charge of Nagar Bhaban say the SCC is also in dire financial straits. Even if they want to, many things cannot be done, and will not be done. Some of the officials in charge of Nagar Bhaban themselves are also alleging that the SCC is a victim of development discrimination.
Earlier, one project worth Tk 1,225 crore and another worth Tk 50 crore was done to reduce water-logging and control floods, but no significant benefit was achieved. The city could not be made free from water-logging and floods. Therefore, a proposal for a bigger project has been sent to the ministry again.
Of these, the SCC and the Water Development Board have submitted one project each, but the ministry has not approved it. Another project by the SCC is scheduled to be submitted to the ministry next week.
In such a situation, the city residents are extremely worried ahead of the monsoon. Former mayor Ariful Haque Chowdhury said Sylhet is a city inhabited by expatriates. There is a flood of tourists from home and abroad all year round.
During my time, I used to get the Sylhet City Corporation’s drains, gutters, drains, and canals cleaned 5-6 months before the start of the monsoon season. Even then, it would have been difficult to save the city from water-logging because the land nature of Sylhet city is completely different from other cities. And then the city had only 27 wards. Now the city has expanded to 42 wards. But even the work of the past has not been done yet. The rain has started. A single rain in Chaitra has predicted what the city’s condition might be in the next monsoon.
However, the maintenance work that the city hall is doing is not possible to resolve water-logging in any way. If appropriate initiatives are not taken quickly, the entire city will be submerged in water-logging. It is almost certain that the entire city will be submerged when it rains. Former mayor Arif is preparing to call a personal meeting soon with the city residents to consult on this and take civic initiatives.
Meanwhile, in response to the advice of experts to keep the city free from water-logging and floods, the Surma River dredging work was started at a cost of Tk 50 crore. Although the work of this project was supposed to be completed in 2023, it was completed last year.
Even then, the work was somehow delayed by giving various excuses. As a result, the city residents have been in panic and anxiety since hearing the footsteps of the monsoon.
District President of Citizens for Good Governance, Faruk Mahmud Chowdhury said even though there are no elected representatives, the city administration is in charge. They cannot avoid any responsibility of the citizens. They have worked for a long time under the leadership of the mayors to control water-logging and floods in Sylhet city, and they have experience.
They should start working quickly based on that experience. If they continue to make excuses and delay in this regard, the anger of the city residents affected by water-logging and floods will fall not only on them, but also on the government.
He said, “Recently, the Nagar Bhaban formed a committee with me and some people from the city to count ponds and properly preserve them. Even though that committee has been around for a few years, no meeting has been called till date. This is the result of the Nagar Bhaban projects.”
Engineer Noor Azizur Rahman has been the chief engineer of SCC for a long time. He was in the engineer’s chair during the term of three mayors. The city’s water-logging, floods, and allocations are all at his fingertips. He said to the media that SCC had a project of Tk 1,228 crore to resolve water-logging.
“We drained 450 kilometers with that money. The last mayor in charge of the previous government added 14 new wards to that project. In view of this, a proposal to increase the allocation of that project to Tk 3,900 crore was sent to the ministry. The local government formed a committee to examine the reality of that project.
“After examining and selecting, the committee recommended an allocation of Tk 2,500 crore. But that allocation has not been approved yet. There is no previous water-logging relief project. And if the Surma overflows and the city is submerged, there is nothing we can do.”
He further said, “So we have also submitted a project to prevent the water from the Surma River. After initially submitting a project of Tk 3,100 crore, the project was later enlarged. Soon a proposal will be sent for the allocation of Tk 6,600 crore.
“Water Development Board also needs a role in alleviating floods and water-logging in the city. He alleged that the negligence and arbitrariness of the two industrial cities of BSCIC inside the city are negatively affecting the cleanliness and water-logging of the city hall.”
He also admitted that there is no permanent urban planner in the city hall of BSCIC. He said that the one who is there is working on a master role. But he has been there for a long time.
Sylhet Water Development Board Executive Engineer Deepak Ranjan Das said a project worth about Tk 40 crore has already been completed to dredge the Surma to alleviate floods and water-logging. About Tk 10 crore has been returned for this Tk 50 crore project. Due to three consecutive floods last year and the expiration of the project, no further work could be done.
He said a project to dredge the river worth Tk 1,500 crore was recently sent to the ministry. In this project, it has been proposed to dredge the Surma river from Kanaighat to Chhatak. The proposal may be presented in the ministry meeting next week. He claimed that the initial speed of the Surma, a tributary of Barak, has fallen in the Sylhet region.
As a result, silt, sand, and gravel come in large quantities with the flow of the river along with the hill slopes. Therefore, the Surma fills up quickly in almost all places in Sylhet. As the Surma’s chest is filled, the water holding capacity has completely decreased. When the water recedes, it floods the banks. He believes that frequent river dredging is necessary.
Reliable sources of SCC and WDB claim that when the proposal for water-logging and flood relief is sent, the ministry delays in approving it. Due to excessive delay, the work cannot be started and completed on time. In the meantime, the floods and rainwater have caused extensive damage to Sylhet city. However, work worth Tk 14 thousand crore is being done in the Chittagong City Corporation to relieve floods and water-logging.
And SCC has received only Tk 1 thousand 78 crore in the long 14 years. Whatever SCC and WDB say, the city residents want a water-logging and flood-free city. Even if there are no elected public representatives, the city administration should take quick steps in this regard.
Take quick steps to clean drains, drains and other urgent measures. If necessary, the experienced and conscious people of Sylhet suggest applying quickly to the relevant departments of the interim government for the cooperation of the Navy in quickly cleaning and excavating filled drains, drains, canals and gullies.
