5 Sylhet upazilas face flood as project completion uncertain

Erosion by swelling Surma River threatens Rarai village in Zakiganj upazila as the Upper Surma-Kushiyara Project is yet to be implemented.Photo: STAR

People of five upazilas in Sylhet brace for flood and loss of crops as completion of the Upper Surma-Kushiyara Irrigation and Flood Control Project is yet uncertain.
Started in 2001-2002 financial year, only about 20 per cent work of the project has so far been done at a cost of Tk 20 crore though it was scheduled to be completed in 2006-07, sources said.
The project was revised for the 6th time in December last.
Now the WDB has targeted to complete the project by 2009-2010, which may not be possible as little has been done in land acquisition, the sources said.
The project was taken up for flood control and irrigation in five upazilas--Zakiganj, Kanaighat, Beanibazar, Golapganj and Sylhet Sadar.
Surma and Kushiyara,fed by rains and upstream waters, have started swelling, creating panic among people. The two rivers have devoured homesteads and vast croplands in Zakiganj, Beanibazar, Golapganj and Fenchuganj upazilas.
Nasir Uddin, chairman of Barothakuri Union Parishad in Zakiganj told The Daily Star that erosion by Surma has already made 30 families homeless in Digholi, Uttarbhag, Munshibazar, Rasulpur, Ballah villages. He urged local WDB officials to take steps to check erosion, but to no effect, he said.
Muhibur Rahman of Senapatirchak village said Kushiyara has devoured homesteads and croplands in Amolshid, Rarai, Bhoktipur, Lalogram, Manikpur, Bakorshail, Shashyakuri, Senapatirchak and Haidrabond villages.
Same is the situation in Pillakandi, Bhuiyarmura, Loharmal, Gaglajor, Suprakandi, Piaipur, Jamdohor, Lafakona, Majhergram, Lakshmibazar, Barochaulia and Ujirpur villages, locals told this correspondent yesterday.
WDB Executive Engineer Md. Shafiqul Islam claimed that some work done in Zakiganj in last financial year would benefit the people. “We will do some more work in current financial year with a a sanction of Tk 10 crore though we sought Tk 60 crore.
But, he could not say whether it would be completed by 2009-2010 as targeted.
The project was revised several times, delaying its implementation and escalating the cost.
Last year, it was revised and the cost was scaled down to Tk 135 crore from 181 crore. Again, in December, it was revised to a Tk 132 crore project.
The revised project includes, construction of 20 regulators, excavation of 94 km irrigation canals, setting up of a pumping station and reconstruction of 143km embankments.
Only 77 hectares of land could be acquired so far for the project at a cost of Tk 6.22 crore and 41 km embankments completed in Zakiganj and Kanaighat upazilas with Tk 7 crore, WDB officials said. Without acquiring more lands, it is not at all possible to do more infrastructure work, they said.
Only Tk 3.76 crore was disbursed against a sanction of Tk 5 crore as ADP allocation in 2007-08 financial year. For 2008-2009, only Tk 10 crore was sanctioned against the work plan of Tk 64 crore, they said.
Implementation of the project would provide irrigation to 38,000 hectares of land and save 49,000 hectares from flood.
The region last year experienced repeated and prolonged floods that left a colossal damage to crops and houses.