Surma, Kushiyara devour areas as flood control project limps
Kushiyara River continues to erode its bank at Senapatirchak in Sylhet as 'Upper Surma-Kushiyara Project' designed for flood control and irrigation in the area sees very little progress in nine years. Photo: STAR
Much-talked flood control and irrigation scheme styled 'Upper Surma-Kushiyara project' in Sylhet sees only 35 per cent of work done in nine years although it was scheduled to complete by 2005-2006 fiscal year (FY). After revision for the fifth time, the project is now set to complete by June 2012 but officials said it is impossible to complete the remaining 65 per cent work by the time. Lack of timely allocation for the project and its repeated revisions mainly delayed the implementation while repeated floods, water stagnation and large-scale erosion along the banks of two major rivers caused huge damage to crops, households and croplands in the region during the period. As WDB revised the project for the 5th time, its different features have been trimmed. Tk 49.02 crore has so far been spent under the project, sources said. "Tk 20 crore has been sanctioned for the 2010-2011 fiscal year for construction of a pump house at Zakiganj, excavation of 30 km irrigation canal and construction of some small irrigation structures in the project areas," Md Shafiqul Islam, executive engineer of WDB, Sylhet, said yesterday. Successful implementation of the project would provide irrigation facilities for 38,000 hectares of land through the irrigation canals and drainage canals, he said. 'Upper Surma-Kushiyara project' was designed for flood control, improvement of drainage system and better irrigation facilities in vast areas of five upazilas of Sylhet -- Zakiganj, Kanaighat, Beanibazar, Golapganj and Sylhet Sadar. It begins from the starting point of Surma and Kushiyara at Amolshid border in Zakiganj upazila and runs up to Golapganj and Sylhet Sadar along the banks of two rivers. Started in 2001-2002 FY with an estimated cost of Tk 111 crore, the project was scheduled to be complete by 2005-2006 FY. But the project work, started with an initial allocation of only Tk 50 lakh, proceeded in a very slow pace. In 2006, the project cost was raised to Tk 181 crore, with a target to complete it by 2009-10. As the water resources ministry asked for cutting down the expenditure in 2007, it was made Tk 135-crore project. Again it was revised to a Tk 132-crore project the same year.
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