Town’s lone outlet gobbled up

Land grabbers have made the Shyama Sundari Canal virtually dead and a breeding ground for mosquitoes and germs. PHOTO: STAR

The 16 kilometre canal was the lone natural outlet which kept the town clear of waste and garbage for about 150 years. But now it is almost dead and has become a breeding ground for mosquitoes and germs, spreading diseases round the year.

The canal was originally 20 to 30 feet wide. But now it is hardly five feet at many places due to encroachment.

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About one fourth of the canal has been grabbed illegally by land grabbers.

Different socio-cultural organisations have long been demanding re-excavation of the canal but the cries fall on the deaf ears of municipal authorities.

A slight rain now clogs the canal with waste and garbage, making water stagnant. Mosquitos breed and spread malaria.

A downpour overflows the canal at many points.

The stagnant water creates pollution round the year, spreading stench.

During dry season, it is an ideal place for dumping garbage by residents living on its banks.

Sohorab Ali Dulal, an Assistant Professor at Mahiganj College living at Mulatol beside the canal said about 2000 families in the area have to stay there amid health hazard.

Mehedi Hassan, a resident at Sen Para said a slight rain overflows the canal there and inundates at least 150 houses. The water remains stagnant for long.

The authorities concerned have not taken any initiative to restore the canal by evicting the land grabbers.

When contacted, former municipal chairman and a central leader of Gonotontri Party Afzal Hossen said during his tenure from 1982 to 1997 he re-excavated a few kilometres of the canal at Kukrul.

The work could not be completed due to shortage of fund, he added.

Municipal Chairman Kazi Mohammed Zunnun said a big amount of money is needed for re-excavation of the canal, which the pourasava alone can not provide.

"I sent a proposal in 1999 which involves Tk 10 crore. The Planning Ministry is sitting on it", he said.

Rangpur Water Development Board Chief Engineer Abdul Aziz said the proposal was forwarded to the Ministry of Planning for approval by ECNEC.

The canal was dug in 1988. According to history, small pox and diarrhoea in consecutive years in late nineteenth century took a heavy toll in the town.

Residents thought that lack of proper drainage system was the main cause of the diseases.

The then Jaminder Janoki Bollov decided to create a natural outlet and dug the canal after his mother Shyma Sundari. He had also dug small drains so that waste and dirt from different areas could flow into the canal and washed away.

But the canal has not been re-excavated since it was dug, residents say.