In line with its pledge for the 13th parliamentary election, the BNP government is set to implement a nationwide programme to excavate and re-excavate 20,000 kilometres of canals over the next five years. Following the formation of the government, the canal-digging initiative originally launched in the 1970s by former President Ziaur Rahman is being revived—this time with the use of modern technology.
Rather than assigning responsibility to a single ministry, the initiative will be jointly implemented by the Ministry of Water Resources, the Ministry of Local Government, the Ministry of Agriculture, and the Ministry of Disaster Management and Relief in a coordinated manner.
To prioritise the implementation of this plan, an urgent circular was issued on Sunday, February 22, by the Ministry of Disaster Management and Relief. The letter, signed by Senior Assistant Secretary Shah Md. Shamsuzzoha of the Relief Programme-2 branch of the ministry, has requested updated information on excavatable canals from every upazila. Each upazila has been instructed to submit information on at least two canals that are of highest public importance, free from legal complications and obstruction.
To ensure transparency of information, the letter directs that data be submitted directly through a Google Form instead of hard copies via the district administration.
The letter sets March 1 of the current year as the deadline for Upazila Nirbahi Officers (UNOs) to submit the required information. It also mentions plans not only for excavation but for planned tree plantation along both banks of the canals.
Similarly, according to directives from the Ministry of Agriculture, lists of excavatable canals have already begun to be prepared and submitted. The Ministry of Disaster Management and Relief has taken initiatives to carry out the excavation works under government budget allocations including Test Relief (TR), Kabikha-Kabita (Food for Work programmes), and EGPP (Employment Generation Programme for the Poorest). According to the ministry’s plan, this initiative will create employment opportunities in rural areas and directly benefit local farmers.
Sources said the government will use state-of-the-art technology in these canal excavation activities. At the same time, AI technology will be used to determine and monitor the number of excavated canals and planted trees. The entire programme will be made visible through geolocation mapping. In a statement regarding the election manifesto, Prime Minister Tarique Rahman said that citizens would be able to view the activities through Google Earth.
It is worth mentioning that on Thursday, February 19, a high-level inter-ministerial meeting held at the Secretariat under the chairmanship of Prime Minister Tarique Rahman took a policy decision on reviving the canal-digging programme. After the meeting, Water Resources Minister Md. Shahid Uddin Chowdhury Annie told journalists that during the time of Shaheed Zia, the canal-digging programme had turned into a movement. Due to a long absence of renovation, canals across the country have lost navigability, causing irrigation crises for farmers and waterlogging during the monsoon.
To address these challenges, the canal-digging programme has been given top priority in accordance with the election manifesto. A target has been set to make visible progress in canal excavation activities within the next 180 days, that is, within six months.
DBTech/BUDM/MUM/OR
