RAJBARI, May 12: State Minister for Cultural Affairs Ali Newaz Mahmud Khayyam on Tuesday said the re-excavation of canals in Goalanda Upazila would help expand fish farming, reduce water-logging and improve agricultural activities in the area.
"Farmers will no longer suffer from water shortages during jute retting once the canals are restored," he said while inaugurating two canal excavation and re-excavation projects under the Employment Generation Programme for the Poorest (EGPP) of the Ministry of Disaster Management and Relief.
The inauguration ceremony was held in Goalanda Upazila of Rajbari district on Tuesday afternoon in the presence of local officials, political leaders and residents.
The state minister said the canal restoration initiative would bring long-term benefits to the area by improving water flow and easing drainage problems during the monsoon season.
He said many canals in rural areas had lost navigability and water-carrying capacity due to siltation and lack of maintenance over the years, causing severe waterlogging and disrupting agricultural activities.
"The government is working to restore canals and other water bodies to protect agriculture and improve the livelihoods of rural people," he added.
Among others present at the programme were Additional Deputy Commissioner Tarif Ul Hasan, Goalanda Upazila Nirbahi Officer Sathi Das, BNP leader Sultanul Islam Munna Molla, Nazirul Islam Titas, Upazila BNP President Md Nizam Uddin and Secretary Mosharraf Hossain.
Rajbari Deputy Commissioner Afroza Parveen said the projects were being implemented under the EGPP scheme, which aims to create temporary employment opportunities for extremely poor people alongside improving rural infrastructure and water management systems.
According to officials, one of the projects involves excavation of a canal stretching from Goalanda Nazir Uddin Pilot High School to the Bishwanath Para embankment area. The canal has a total length of 1.680 kilometres.
The second project includes re-excavation of another canal from Kalam's house in Ujan Char Habil Mondol Para to the houses of Fayezuddin Matubbar and Salim Matubbar. The canal is approximately 0.930 kilometres long.
