Bangladesh can follow US model
Engineer-under-spotlight Zahid tells The Daily Star on his project to combat natural disaster
Anwar ZahidAnwar Zahid, the Bangladeshi who works as principal engineer for ARCADIS-US, thinks many of the hydraulic and flood protection systems that he has been working on can be replicated to combat natural disasters in Bangladesh.
In an interview with The Daily Star yesterday, the engineer, who is now working as designer of record (DOR) and in some of the major projects of the Hurricane and Storm Drainage Risk Reduction System (HSDRRS) in Louisiana, said the concrete T-wall concept and flood gates for navigation and water control can be introduced here at a reasonable cost.
“Geographically, there is a similarity between Bangladesh and New Orleans both having to mitigate internal and external floods due to low altitude,” said Zahid, adding, “We can also install drainage pumps to jet out internal flood water.”
“Bangladesh with its mangrove forest along the coastal areas is already enjoying a natural protection from disasters to some extent. If we can use this protection system with some engineering interventions, risks from major calamities can be greatly reduced,” he said.
“Permanent solutions to recurring cyclones and other disasters would also motivate coastal people and stop internal migration,” he added.
Zahid, who has successfully worked with many renowned contractors on such projects and currently managing the Seabrook Sectorgate Complex, said other successful Bangladeshi engineers Badre Enam and Iftekhar Ahmad are also vital members of his team working to protect Louisiana from recurring natural disasters.
Zahid clarifies that the earlier report, which was filed by BSS on Friday and published in this newspaper yesterday, wrongly stated that the US Army selected him to do the job in Louisiana. “In fact, the US Army Corps of Engineers hired many companies including ARCADIS-US to protect the state from natural disasters,” he said.
The mega-project involves many components and also a host of companies including ARCADIS-US, which are helping the army engineers to ensure a hundred-year flood protection for Louisiana where hurricane Katrina struck with full velocity in 2005, killing at least 1,836 people and making it the deadliest hurricane in US since 1928.
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