Posted on August 9, 2023
Despite scrapping some major work components, the water development authorities have failed to dredge and protect embankments at a small portion of the Padma in four years, according to insiders.
Interestingly, the state-run Water Development Board (WDB) has rather sought 35.60-per cent higher funds and two more years to do the job, they said on Saturday.
The WDB undertook the ‘Padma river dredging and protection of embankments from Majhirchar-Moksedpur through Narisha Bazar at Dohar upazila under Dhaka district project’ at Tk 1.48 billion.
The project was taken in 2018 with the completion deadline set for June 2022.
The original deadline was over. The WDB had not been able to finish the project even after extension of time for one year up to June 2023.
The board has once again come up with a revision of the project escalating the cost by 35.60 per cent and the time one more year from its June 2023 deadline.
Water resources ministry has recently sought a revision of the project from the Planning Commission (PC).
A senior PC official said the WDB has changed the design of the embattled project substantially through scrapping its key component.
As revised, the WDB has cut the proposed dredging of the river to 36.0 million cubic metres from 52.64 million cubic metres. It has also scrapped 296.14 metres of end termination for protection in the upstream and 126.41 metres in the downstream of the river.
On the other hand, the revised DPP (development project proposal) has boosted the riverbank protection work to 25.20 km from 6.0 km as per the original proposal.
When asked, a senior WDB official said they have been forced to revise because of changing the scope of work and design of the project.
Project execution has already been delayed for this.
“However, we’re hopeful of completing the river protection and dredging work by the new deadline proposed in the revised DPP,” said the official.
“Sometimes, the Padma in Dohar area affects agricultural land, roads, educational institutions and other establishments through erosion. So, the project will save the villagers and inhabitants of that area.”
As of 2022, according to WDB sources, the project implemented an estimated 50 per cent of the work.
