Flood prevention initiatives in Sylhet stuck at planning

Most of the pledges to protect Sylhet from recurrence of devastating flood like last year still remain at planning level, with weeklong incessant rainfall, swollen rivers and incoming upstream water from India posing risks of another nightmare for the flood-prone district this monsoon.  

The initiatives including dredging on the Rivers Surma and Kushiara, construction of Sylhet city protection embankment and flood control walls, and elevation of grid substations have marked no remarkable progress even after a year since the flooding last year.   

Dredging of River Surma remains halted

On January 21 this year, the foreign minister inaugurated dredging work on 18km of the River Surma, from Kushia Ghat to Lamakazi, at a cost of Tk50 crore. Currently, the project remains halted due to rising water levels in the river. 

"The dredging work is 40% completed so far… Dredging will be resumed once the water recedes. This project will be completed by December," said Asif Ahmed, executive engineer of the Water Development Board Sylhet Office.

However, environmental activists have demanded that the entire river be dredged, claiming that dredging on only 18km of the river will not yield any significant result against flooding.

"Dredging on the upstream parts of the river is more important than the downstream. No benefit can be obtained unless the entire river, including its starting point, is dredged," said Abdul Karim Kim, general secretary of Bangladesh Poribesh Andolan (Bapa) Sylhet chapter.

However, Water Development Board Executive Engineer Asif Sylhet said a survey is underway to dredge the entire river from its source. 

A Development Project Proposal (DPP) for the project will be submitted to the ministry. This project will be started after 2024, he added.

Survey still underway for city protection dam construction
There is no visible progress in the project for constructing an embankment along Sylhet city.

"The Water Development Board is conducting a survey for the construction of the city protection dam. After the survey, the next activity will begin," said Nur Azizur Rahman, chief engineer of Sylhet City Corporation.

He said that under this project, sluice gates will be constructed at the points where the big canals flowing through the city fall into the River Surma.

Newly elected city mayor Anwaruzzaman Chowdhury, in his electoral manifesto, also pledged construction of the city protection embankment and dredging of the river on a priority basis to protect the city from floods.

No steps to protect hospitals from flooding

During last year's floods, at least 24 health complexes in Sylhet, including MAG Osmani Medical College Hospital, were inundated, damaging various equipment, infrastructure and furniture.

However, even after a year, no initiative has been taken at Osmani Hospital to ensure healthcare in case of recurrence of the annual disaster.

The hospital's director Mahbubur Rahman Bhuiyan said, "Last time the power station went under water and the entire hospital went dark. We took an initiative to elevate it [power station]. But it has not been possible due to lack of funding".

Power substations at risk of inundation 

The entire Sylhet and Sunamganj districts were without power after several substations, including the Kumargaon grid substation, were submerged in last year's floods.

Power Development Board Sylhet Office Chief Engineer Abdul Kadir said a project was initiated in October last year to construct a Gas Insulated Switchgear (GIS) substation at Kumaragaon so that power supply is not disrupted in case of flooding. It will be completed in December.

But it is not possible to make any changes to other substations immediately, he said, adding, if houses are submerged in floods, elevating the substations will not help power supply.

Project for Surma-Kushira dredging, erosion control in initial stage
The Water Development Board has taken up a project, titled "Integrated Water Resources Management and Development in Surma-Kushiara river Basin of Sylhet District", worth Tk6,500 crore for dredging works on the two rivers, and construction and reconstruction of flood control dams and flood walls along Sylhet city. 

Meanwhile, the survey for the project has been completed.

A Development Project Proposal (DPP) for the project will be sent to the concerned ministry within July, said SM Shahidul Islam, additional director general (East Zone) of the Water Development Board.