Ahead of the upcoming elections scheduled for February 12, the political parties of the country are publishing their election manifestos and using them in their election campaigns. For obvious reasons, the election manifesto and promises of the BNP are attracting the special attention of the people.
One of the election promises announced by the BNP is the excavation of 20,000 kilometers of canals across the country. Tarique Rahman made this announcement on January 20 at a prayer gathering and exchange meeting organized by the Banani Society at the Chairmanbari field in Banani, Dhaka, to pray for the salvation of the departed soul of former Prime Minister Begum Khaleda Zia.
While explaining why canals need to be excavated, he primarily mentioned waterlogging and the drainage problems in urban areas. He said, “The canal digging program of my father, martyred President Ziaur Rahman, was important for the people in different parts of the country. The residents of Dhaka city are also feeling the necessity of canal excavation now. Because, problems have been created due to the closure of canals one after another. Therefore, if the BNP is able to form a government with the people’s vote in the upcoming election, it will excavate 20,000 kilometers of canals across Bangladesh.”
Canals are an important part of the flowing water bodies of Bangladesh. Some canals are even more important than many rivers from the perspective of size, volume of flow, and role. Despite this, there is a fundamental difference between a canal and a river. A river is entirely a creation of nature, whereas a canal is usually man-made. That is why we talk about constructing canals, but we cannot talk about constructing rivers. To clarify this man-made characteristic of canals, canals in many places are referred to as ‘kata khal’ (dug canals). In many places, canals were dug so far back in the past that they now appear to be part of nature. Sometimes, natural rivers are also called canals.
Regardless of the case, canals, like rivers and streams, are important components of the country’s river system. Therefore, canal excavation needs to be considered as part of the revitalization of the country’s river system. In fact, if the connection with the rivers is not re-established, simply digging canals within the city will not solve the problems of waterlogging and drainage. Because, the question remains—where will the canal water go? (See article, ‘Where will the canal water go?’ Daily Star, August 10, 2009)
Let’s take the case of Dhaka city. At one time, there were about 50 canals flowing through this city, which connected the city to the Buriganga, Turag, Tongi Khal, and Balu rivers. Due to negligence and encroachment, these canals had been deteriorating for a long time. After the 1988 floods, the construction of the ‘Greater Dhaka West Embankment’ practically severed the connection between Dhaka’s canals and the Buriganga and Turag rivers. Later, a project disconnecting the connection with the Balu river to the east was also adopted, although environmentalists had recommended constructing it as an elevated expressway to maintain the city’s connection with the river. Because of these embankments, the opportunity for Dhaka’s canal water to flow into the rivers was almost entirely closed off, and waterlogging took a severe form. In this reality, waterlogging in Dhaka cannot be eliminated merely by excavating canals; it will require the restoration of the canals’ connections with the surrounding rivers.
The program of excavating 20,000 kilometers of canals hints at a nationwide initiative. Because, such a massive amount of excavation should not be required just to restore urban canals. Ziaur Rahman’s canal digging program was also spread across the country. Alongside canal excavation, he took the initiative to re-excavate rivers. For instance, the initiative to re-excavate the Brahmaputra River. The question is, what will be the overall purpose and specific targets of the canal excavation?
To find the answer to this question, one has to look at two fundamental characteristics of Bangladesh’s rivers. One is the extreme seasonal variation in flow. About 80 percent of the annual rainfall is confined to just four months. Furthermore, nearly 93 percent of the water catchment areas of our rivers are located outside the country’s borders. As a result, the seasonal variation in flow is multiplied further. The second characteristic is the massive amount of silt and sand. Although it has decreased somewhat due to increased interventions upstream, nearly one billion tons of silt still reaches Bangladesh every year.
Because of these two characteristics, the ‘open approach’ to the river system is suitable for Bangladesh. In this approach, during the monsoon season, river water can overflow the banks and spread across the floodplains. Siltation occurs there, the elevation of the land increases, and all water bodies, including underground reservoirs, are replenished. The stored water helps maintain river flow during the dry season and assists in various activities, including irrigation. At the same time, less siltation occurs in the riverbed, and the depth of the river is maintained.
To cope with this reality, the people of Bangladesh historically invented the ‘eight-month embankment’ (ashtamashi badh). For the four months of the monsoon, these embankments would be opened so that silt-laden water could enter the floodplains. For the remaining eight months, the embankments were kept closed to store water. But in the 1950s, foreign agencies and consultants ignored this reality and imposed an ‘enclosed approach’ on the rivers through so-called ‘water development’ programs. This method of isolating floodplains from riverbeds through permanent embankments has proven completely unsuitable for Bangladesh. This enclosed approach is the root cause of the degradation of the river system and the gradual spread of waterlogging in urban and rural areas.
The withdrawal of water upstream by India has further intensified this crisis. Therefore, to eliminate waterlogging and to revitalize rivers and floodplains, the enclosed approach must be abandoned, and a return to the open approach is necessary. If the canal excavation program cannot be used to facilitate this return, it will become aimless.
Another issue is closely linked to the success of canal excavation. That is the use of the excavated soil. In most cases, this soil is left on the banks of the canal and later falls back into the canal, nullifying the benefits of the excavation. If this soil could be used to raise the plinths of villages located in floodplains and tidal zones, it could also be helpful in combating the impacts of climate change.
However, an effective institutional framework at the village level is required to implement these tasks. Currently, the local government system is limited to the union level. As a result, a void has been created in the joint management of people, land, and water in the villages. In this regard, the ‘Self-reliant Village Government’ (Swanirbhar Gram Sarkar) initiative introduced by Ziaur Rahman is worth remembering. In this system, emphasis was placed on the joint utilization of available labor and resources within the village. After this system was abolished in 1982, no effective local government was ever developed again at the village level.
Because of this institutional void, villages have become largely powerless. They have to look upwards for any joint endeavor. To make the canal excavation program a success, the re-introduction of the village government must also be considered. However, one must also be careful so that it does not turn into a den of corruption and political division. The goal of this system should not be government funding, but rather the optimal use of available resources within the village through collective efforts.
Overall, it can be said that to make the program of excavating 20,000 kilometers of canals meaningful and fruitful, on the one hand, its technical and environmental objectives must be made clear, and on the other hand, the issue of necessary institutional reforms must be seriously taken into consideration.
Dr. Nazrul Islam
Professor, Asian Growth Research Institute
Former Chief of Development Research, United Nations
Founder, Bangladesh Environment Network (BEN)
The information presented here is an English adaptation based on the report published on The Daily Prothom Alo.
