Dredging work begins on Dhaka’s waterways

In a step toward restoring Dhaka’s waterways, three advisers of the interim government inaugurated dredging work on six canals yesterday.

The six canals scheduled for renovation are:

• Baunia Canal (7.19 km),

• Rupnagar Canal (3.5 km),

• Begunbari Canal (1.69 km),

• Manda Canal (4.37 km),

• Kalunagar Canal (4.46 km), and

• Korail Lake (2.45 km).

Syeda Rizwana Hasan, adviser for Environment, Forest, Climate Change, and Water Resources; Adilur Rahman Khan, adviser for Housing, Public Works, and Industry; and Asif Mahmud Sajib Bhuiyan, adviser for Local Government, Rural Development, Cooperatives, Youth, and Sports, were present at the ceremony.

Arriving at the site, the officials walked down a red-carpeted pathway to board a floating excavator, marking the official launch of the dredging program.

This project aims to improve water flow, combat pollution, and reclaim the canals from decades of neglect – addressing key environmental and urban challenges in the capital, the officials said.

The initiative, under the Dhaka North and South City Corporations, is part of a broader effort to rehabilitate 19 canals and reservoirs across the city.