Home ›› 30 Aug 2021 ›› Front
The government has drafted a plan to construct a two kilometer-long cross dam from Urir Char Island to Noakhali to restore 10,000 hectres of land from the Bay of Bengal.
In this regard, the Ministry of Water Resources has sent a project proposal, tilled “Construction of Cross Dam from Urir Char-Noakhali aiming to restore land,” to the Planning Commission for the final approval from the Executive Committee of the National Economic Council (ECNEC), a senior official of the Planning Ministry told The Business Post on Sunday.
The project aims to permanently connect Urir Char to Noakhali district along with increasing agricultural land, developing socio-economic infrastructures and ensure food security in the area.
The cost of the project has been estimated at Tk 636.17 crore, which will be provided from the government exchequer.
Bangladesh Water Development Board will implement the project by June 2025, the project proposal said.
Main components of the project include constructing the 2km long cross dam, 6km-long tie embankment and 30 acres of land acquisition.
“We will hold a project evaluation meeting and discuss on the project. Once it is clear, we will send the project for the ECNEC approval,” Planning Commission Additional Secretary (Agriculture, Water Resources and Rural Institutions Division) Md Matiar Rahman said.
“As per the recommendations of consultancy firm Netherland-based Royal Haskoning, DHV and Institution of Water Modeling, the Water Resources Ministry readied the project proposal to restore 10,000 lands from the Bay of Bengal,” he added.
Urir Char is an inhabited island in the Bay of Bengal. It is also a union parishad of Sandwip Upazila under Chattogram district.
Under the Char Development and Settlement Project, the Institute of Water Modeling completed a detailed feasibility study in 2009-10 recommending for the construction four cross dams in Sawndip-Urir Char, Urirchar to Noakhali, Noakhali-Jahajchar and Jahajchar to Swandip.
