Govt unveils AI-powered groundwater monitoring system

The government has developed an artificial intelligence (AI)-powered real-time dashboard to monitor groundwater levels, a move aimed at strengthening sustainable water resources management, Finance and Planning Minister Amir Khosru Mahmud Chowdhury said today.

Presenting the FY2026-27 budget, the minister said the government was also implementing projects covering irrigation, flood management, riverbank protection, land reclamation, waterlogging mitigation, drainage improvement and salinity control.

As part of efforts to maintain ecological balance, special initiatives have been undertaken to restore at least one river in each division by freeing it from encroachment.

Under seven ongoing projects, measures are being implemented to remove illegal encroachments and restore the natural flow of the Dhaleshwari, Louhajang, Alaikuri, Mogra, Salta, Sutang, Bakkhali and Barnai rivers.

The minister said the government has also developed a Water Quality Index (WQI) for the rivers surrounding Dhaka to support environmental monitoring and water management.

The water resources ministry is implementing a nationwide programme titled "Excavation and Re-excavation of Rivers, Canals and Water Reservoirs".

Under a broader initiative to excavate 20,000 kilometres of canals, rivers and drainage channels over the next five years, the ministry plans to excavate 111 kilometres and re-excavate 680 kilometres of canals, irrigation channels and drainage canals in FY2026-27.

The government is also implementing a project to identify and classify canals nationwide and develop a GIS-based database of the country's canal network.

To strengthen flood protection, targets have been set for FY27 to construct, reconstruct and rehabilitate embankments and flood walls, as well as to improve river navigability and remove submerged shoals along 309 kilometres and 484 kilometres of waterways, respectively.

In addition, construction, reconstruction and rehabilitation works covering 292 kilometres of embankments and flood walls are currently underway under the government's 180-Day Flood Protection Programme.