Killing century-old canal by turning it into a drain
The last nail is getting hammered in the coffin of Shyamababu's canal in Tangail town. After more than half of the town's main canal was converted into a central drain nearly three decades ago, now drain construction on the remaining part of the canal has also started. Through this, the 128-year-old canal is going to end its life, leaving the ancient town in fear of environmental disaster.
According to Tangail municipality sources, Shyamacharan Gupta, a teacher of the local Bindubasini High School, who was also the then vice chairman of the municipal council, dug the canal from Lauhajang River in Paradisepara area of the town to Burai Beel of Biswas Betka area in 1905 for the development of the town's drainage and local waterways.
Even in the 70s, people used to cross the 35 to 40 feet wide canal by cargo boats.
Ismail Hossain Selim, former secretary of Tangail Municipality and president of Tangail Sangrahashala, said there was no road communication system in the region at that time. Waterways were the main means of transportation.
Besides, various products, including jute, were brought to the markets of the region through Shyamababu's canal.
In the 1990s, a sluice gate was constructed on the Louhajang River at Jugani in Sadar upazila under a Water Development Board project.
Under the same project, a 1.5km drain was constructed from Paradisepara to the Godown Bridge stretch of the Shyamababu Canal.
A few years later, the municipal authorities built a few commercial high-rise markets on the side drain and rented it out. This also ruined the drainage system of the area, said Ismail.
Recently, the construction of the drains in the rest of the canal in Biswas Betka area has started under the Infrastructure Development Project of the municipality.
Locals said the Betka section of the canal was already in life support due to unabated encroachment and pollution.
Ratan Ahmed Siddique, member secretary of Tangail District River-Canal Protection Movement Committee said, "The hope we had of reviving the vital canal for the people of the town has been dashed by the construction of this new drain in the Betka section."
"After turning the Paradisepara part of the canal into a drain, it got clogged with dirt and there was no way for the water to flow. That's why only moderate rainfall causes waterlogging in the surrounding areas."
"However, it seems like the municipality did not learn anything from its past mistakes," he added.
According to Ratan, as the town's population grows and high-rise buildings and unplanned infrastructure are built, the drainage system will soon collapse completely.
"The town will be flooded due to moderate rainfall. The environment will once again be severely polluted as a result of clogged drains. The town will eventually be rendered uninhabitable," said Ratan.
"The construction of drains is not a solution. Rather, the canals must be saved at any cost," Ratan added.
Gautam Chandra Chanda, divisional coordinator of Bangladesh Environmental Lawyers Association (Bela), said most of the 27 canals flowing over Tangail town no longer exist. This has increased the chance of serious environmental disasters.
Tangail Municipality Panel Mayor Hafizur Rahman Swapan said the master drain is being constructed in the Biswas Betka section of the canal in the public interest.
"After the construction of the drain, the land on both sides will be reclaimed and turned into a footpath," he said.
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