Canal re-excavation must be part of spatial planning, not isolated work: BIP

Bangladesh Institute of Planners (BIP) today urged the government to treat the ongoing canal re-excavation programme not merely as a dredging exercise, but as a core component of integrated spatial planning, water governance and climate adaptation.

The institute presented its position paper titled “Canal Re-excavation Programme: In the Context of Water Management, Climate Adaptation and Spatial Planning.”

BIP said canal re-excavation is a necessary beginning, but to achieve lasting results it must be linked with land use control, natural drainage preservation, waste management, climate adaptation, biodiversity conservation and long-term maintenance.

Citing research, the institute said Dhaka’s rapid urbanisation and encroachment on natural waterways have severely weakened the city’s drainage capacity. A 2023 study warned that continued damage to canals and drainage corridors could nearly double flood-affected areas in parts of Dhaka by 2042, from 4.05 percent to 8.47 percent.

BIP said re-excavation may restore water flow and reduce waterlogging in some areas, but without connectivity between drains, canals and rivers and regular desiltation, excavated canals risk becoming clogged again.

The institute also cited a 2024 study showing Dhaka lost about 69 percent of its wetlands between 1990 and 2020, while land surface temperatures rose by 3.44°C to 9.35°C. It warned that 74 to 90 percent of remaining wetlands could disappear by 2050 without protection.

It called for wetland conservation zones, ecological buffer strips along canal banks, prohibition of illegal structures and mandatory blue-green network requirements in urban planning rules.

Referring to an ActionAid Bangladesh initiative in Badokhali Beel in Barguna, BIP said community-led canal re-excavation helped restore water flow and improve agricultural and fishing livelihoods, showing the importance of participatory approaches.

In the Barind region, it cited research indicating that re-excavated canals, ponds and wetlands could support Managed Aquifer Recharge to replenish groundwater.

BIP warned that without pollution control, re-excavation efforts would fail, as untreated waste and industrial effluents would degrade water quality and trigger eutrophication.

It recommended sewage treatment plants, effluent treatment facilities, solid waste management systems and strict enforcement against direct discharge into waterways.

The institute identified key weaknesses, including lack of coordinated national planning, repeated re-encroachment, unclear maintenance funding, weak inter-agency coordination and poor linkage with the Bangladesh Delta Plan 2100 and the National Adaptation Plan 2023–2050.

“Unless these limitations are addressed, the canal re-excavation programme will generate short-term public optimism but will not deliver the results the country needs,” BIP cautioned.

BIP proposed an eleven-point recommendation, including a national water resource plan, river-basin-based planning, GIS and remote sensing monitoring, alignment with national climate plans, waste infrastructure rollout, ecological buffer zones, community-based management, dedicated maintenance funding, stronger role of professional planners and strict anti-encroachment enforcement.

It said it is ready to provide technical and policy support, including spatial planning frameworks and monitoring systems.

“Water management is not merely an engineering matter, it encompasses land use, environment, society, economics, livelihoods and administrative coordination,” the institute said, calling for the programme to be reframed as a national initiative for waterway restoration and spatial planning.