A Correspondent:
Kaharole, Dinajpur: Prime Minister Tarique Rahman yesterday inaugurated the nationwide program to excavate and re-excavate rivers, canals and water bodies aimed at improving irrigation, boosting agricul-tural production and strengthening water management.
The premier inaugurated the excavation of 53 canals across the country by initiating the excavation of the 12-kilometer Sahapara Canal in the Balrampur area in Kaharole upazila of the district.
He formally launched the initiative by cutting soil with a spade at 12:27 pm. Later, he planted a sapling of a tree on the bank of the Sahapara Canal.
LGRD Minister Mirza Fakhrul Islam Alamgir, Social Welfare Minister Dr AZM Zahid Hossain, Water Resources Minister Shahiduddin Chowdhury Anee and Disaster Management and Relief Minister Asadul Habib Dulu and State Minister for Water Resources Forhad Hossain Azad were present at the event, among others.
Earlier, the Prime Minister arrived at Syedpur Airport by air from Dhaka and he later travelled by road to the program venue on the bank of the Sahapara Canal here.
The BNP-led government has undertaken the program in line with its election manifesto to excavate and re-excavate about 20,000 kilometers of rivers, canals, water bodies and reservoirs across the country over the next five years.
In the first phase, the initiative has been simultaneously launched in 54 districts across the country.
The Prime Minister took the program following the footsteps of his father, Shaheed President Ziaur Rahman, who had introduced a nationwide canal excavation initiative during his tenure.
The program played a significant role in boosting rural economy, agricultural production and irrigation facilities, and the current initiative is seen as a continuation of that effort.
After inspecting the Sahapara-Balrampur canal on Friday afternoon, Women and Child Affairs and So-cial Welfare Minister Dr AZM Zahid Hossain said that the excavation of this 12-kilometer-long canal in Sahapara will benefit about 350,000 people.
It will provide protection from flash floods and help ensure irrigation facilities during the dry season, he added.
According to the brief of Sahapara Canal re-excavation project, the re-excavation work of the Sahapara Canal in Kaharole upazila of Dinajpur district is being implemented to improve water management, en-sure irrigation facilities and reduce water logging in the surrounding areas.
The Sahapara Canal, located in Ramchandrapur union and Mukundapur union of Kaharole upazila, has a total length of 12.200 kilometers, including 7.950 kilometers of the main canal and 4.250 kilometers of branch canals.
Once completed, the project will facilitate drainage of rainwater from nearly 40 square kilometers of surrounding areas, including Ramchandrapur union.
It will also protect about 15 square kilometers of low-lying agricultural land in Panishail-Chapdia, Ba-kultala and Jagannathpur areas from water logging, safeguarding Aman paddy crops.
Around 31,000 farmers are expected to get benefit directly from the project, while nearly 60,000 metric tons of crops will be protected from potential damage.
The excavated canal will retain water, enabling supplementary surface irrigation for approximately 1,200 hectares of farmland.
As part of the environmental initiative, about 7,000 trees will be planted along both sides of the canal, which will contribute positively to the environment.
The project will also create employment opportunities for local people during the excavation work.
Officials said the initiative will help strengthen food security, reduce poverty and enhance fish and aquatic resources in the project area.
An estimated 350,000 people in the surrounding localities are expected to get benefit indirectly from the project.
