KCC to build power pump house to remove city's water logging

Khulna City Corporation (KCC) has taken initiative to build a high-power pump house with a cost of Taka 68 crore under the "Water logging removal project" on the bank of Rupsa River with a view to remove water logging from the city streets during the rainy season, said KCC officials.

"This is the first time for the KCC to implement a new mega project in order to remove the problem permanently," the officials said, adding that an international tender has already been called to implement the project.

"It is mainly being built with a view to drain rainwater smoothly during the tidal period in the rainy season. The pump will be built on the city's Shahebkali canal near the Rupsha fish market," the sources said.

According to the sources, the powerhouse will be built with three pumps and three switch gates which will remove 3.30 lakh litres of water per minute.

Talking to BSS, Moshiuzzaman Khan, chief engineer of the KCC, said: "The rainwater falls into the river Rupsha through the drains and canals of the city. But the river bed of the Rupsha has been filled with silt. That's why when it rains heavily during the tidal period, the water doesn't get drained properly. Resulting water logging is being created on the city streets."

Shaikh Mohammad Masud Karim, executive engineer of the KCC, said Khulna University of Engineering & Technology (KUET) and Development Design Consultant (DDC) Limited, a project consultancy farms, ensured that a total of around 10 lakh litres water can be possible to remove as according to the data of previous projects of removing water logging.

During heavy rainfall in the rainy season, there is no alternative but to get the water out through irrigation, KCC Mayor Talukder Abdul Khaleque told BSS.

"Firstly, we will install a pump station by the river Rupsha. After successful completion, KCC will build another one at Alutola 10 Gate and the German Development Bank will finance," the mayor said, adding that water logging in Khulna will be solved permanently.

Shaikh Ashrafuzzaman, secretary general of the Greater Khulna Development Action Coordination Committee (GKDACC), said Khulna City Corporation (KCC) left no stone unturned in trying to solve the water logging problem permanently in the last 10 years and implemented various projects to solve water logging but the problem arises in the rainy season.

In 2013, KCC took the initiative of dredging river sand canals under a Taka 65 crore project titled "Urban Development Project".

Later in 2018, the city corporation took another initiative under the project of removing the water logging problem which was not fruitful enough to solve the problem permanently, Ashrafuzzaman said.

So, it will be better to make cooperation with other government departments including the Bangladesh Water Development Board (BWDB), he added.