Canal banks crumble months after re-excavation in Jamalpur

The banks of a five-kilometre canal in Madarganj upazila of Jamalpur have reportedly started collapsing within six months of re-excavation at a cost of Tk1.28 crore, damaging roads and agricultural land and raising questions about the quality of the work.
Local residents alleged that poor implementation of the project had led to the deterioration, claiming that workers were not properly engaged in excavating the canal or reinforcing its banks.
However, Madarganj Upazila Nirbahi Officer (UNO) Sumon Chowdhury said the work had been carried out according to government instructions to maintain water flow through the existing canal. He attributed the collapse in some areas to heavy rain and the sandy nature of the soil.
According to upazila office, the project was undertaken in the 2025-26 fiscal year to re-excavate the canal from Paschim Polisha intersection in Adarvita union to Dudhiagachha. The estimated cost was Tk1,28,78,537.
The project specified a canal width of 9.16 metres and a depth of four metres. It also included the construction of five-foot-wide roads along both banks and the planting of 2,060 trees. Civil Aviation and Tourism Minister M Rashiduzzaman Millat inaugurated the re-excavation, road construction and tree-planting work on 16 March.
Locals said the canal had previously served its purpose adequately but that its banks had begun collapsing after the re-excavation, damaging nearby farmland and roads. They alleged that the work was carried out mainly using excavators, without adequate manual labour or measures to protect the banks.
Mohammad Tukon Mia, a local resident, said the banks would not have collapsed if roads had been properly constructed along both sides of the canal. He added that soil from the banks was falling into the canal, threatening its water-carrying capacity.
Mozammel Hossain of Dudhiagachha said he had cultivated paddy on two bighas of land beside the canal. He said the banks could have been strengthened through proper excavation by workers and the planting of grass and trees, but alleged that these measures had not been adequately implemented.
Local farmer Md Siraj Mia said the work appeared to have focused on removing soil from the canal bed, while little had been done to reinforce the banks.
Rakibul Hasan, a project committee president and member of Adarvita Union Parishad, said the roads were constructed along the canal and that heavy rainfall had caused some sections of the banks to collapse, taking planted trees with them. He maintained that the project had benefited local residents.
UNO Sumon Chowdhury said the project involved re-excavating an existing canal, not digging a new one, to ensure the continued flow of water. He said some areas of the upazila had sandy soil that was washed away by rain, causing sections of the canal banks to collapse. Trees planted along the banks might also have fallen, he added, noting that the tree-planting programme was still underway.
The UNO said repair projects had been listed for implementation through the Asian Development Bank (ADB) and the Local Government Engineering Department (LGED) to ease public suffering. He also said Tk 63,94,349 of the project allocation had been returned because of a shortage of workers during the paddy harvesting season.