Staff Reporter:
The Ministry of Local Government has decided to form committees to demarcate the boundaries of ca-nals in Dhaka as part of efforts to restore the city’s waterways.
An emergency meeting was held yesterday at the conference room of the Local Government Division at the Secretariat to identify the boundaries of all canals under the jurisdictions of the Dhaka North City Corporation (DNCC) and Dhaka South City Corporation (DSCC).
The meeting was arranged in line with directives issued at a meeting chaired by the Prime Minister on June 8.
State Minister for Local Government, Rural Development and Cooperatives Mir Shahe Alam attended the meeting as the chief guest.
The meeting reviewed the progress of ongoing canal excavation and restoration activities aimed at ensur-ing normal water flow in the capital, as well as the challenges hindering the work and the measures needed to address them.
It was decided that two separate committees, under the supervision of the DNCC and DSCC, would be formed to complete the demarcation of canal boundaries.
Representatives from DNCC and DSCC, RAJUK, Dhaka District Administration, the Engineering Bri-gade of the Bangladesh Army, and all other relevant agencies will be included in the committees.
Referring to the Prime Minister’s commitment to building a clean, environmentally friendly and livable Dhaka, the state minister said that the capital’s canals, lakes and water bodies are vital not only for the environment but also for sustainable urban water management and the mitigation of waterlogging.
He said the canals must be cleaned quickly and made suitable for rainwater flow ahead of the upcoming monsoon season.
He also assured that the ministry would provide the necessary financial assistance, manpower recruitment and other administrative support to achieve this goal.
Mir Shahe Alam said that proper boundary demarcation is the first requirement for restoring Dhaka’s canals and addressing water logging.
He said that although differences in canal boundaries across various maps and the involvement of multi-ple agencies make it challenging to begin work on all canals simultaneously, implementation is possible through coordinated efforts.
In this context, a decision was taken to resolve various complexities related to the expansion of Baishteki Khal and the Kallyanpur Retention Pond as pilot projects and proceed with their development.
He said the experience gained from these pilot projects, along with the coordination framework and im-plementation methods would later be applied to the restoration of other canals in the capital. This would provide a clear understanding of ground realities and support the formulation and implementation of long-term plans, he added.
Senior officials of the Local Government Division attended the meeting, along with the administrator, chief executive officer, chief engineer, chief waste management officer and chief health officer of DSCC, the deputy commissioner of Dhaka, assistant commissioners (land), and other senior officials concerned.
