Complete haor embankments on time

We are concerned by the delays and irregularities in the construction of crop protection embankments in the haor regions of Sunamganj. According to a Prothom Alo report, with the deadline only days away, work on dozens of such embankments still remains incomplete. In the haor areas, there is only a short window of a few months for crop cultivation every year. Timely completion of the work is, therefore, critical as even a brief delay can leave crops vulnerable to sudden rain and waterlogging.

According to the Sunamganj Water Development Board (WDB), work on 710 projects is underway in 42 haors across 12 upazilas of the district, covering the repair and construction of 602 km of embankments. Project officials say about 68 percent of the work has been completed. Leaders of the Haor Bachao Andolon, however, allege that only token soil dumping took place in a few projects on December 15, and that full-scale work has yet to begin. Meanwhile, even though allocations have been increased from Tk 130 crore last year to Tk 145 crore this year, bottlenecks in fund disbursement and administrative inefficiencies continue to stall progress.

In Sunamganj, rice is produced in roughly 225,000 hectares of haor land annually, and these haors are protected by more than 1,700 km of embankments. Any delay or disruption in their construction or repair directly threatens the livelihoods of thousands of farmers. Past experience shows that poor-quality embankments and administrative negligence can lead to widespread crop loss. The WDB has overhauled its approach to embankment construction. Yet, despite new policies placing district and upazila administrations directly in charge, oversight remains inconsistent. Locals have also alleged irregularities in project selection and in the formation of implementation committees.

If these issues are not addressed promptly and the embankments are not completed on time, crop damage and economic losses for local communities could be severe. We urge the authorities to expedite the embankment work, and at the same time ensure timely fund release, strengthen monitoring of construction, and enforce accountability at all levels. Regular site inspections should be mandatory to ensure that embankments are built following proper standards. Local government bodies and community organisations should also be actively involved in monitoring progress.