Foreign Minister, Member of Parliament for Sylhet-1 Constituency Dr A K Abdul Momen has urged the Bangladesh Water Development Board to take up the embankment project to keep Sylhet metropolis flood-free.
On Sunday afternoon, he was speaking as the chief guest at a five-star hotel in the suburbs of Sylhet city Barashala area in ‘Sylhet Sadar and Biswanath upazila of Sylhet district on the possibility of protecting Dasagram, Mahtabpur and Rajapur pargana market areas from the erosion of the north side of Surma river’.
The foreign minister said that sluice gates should be installed at the mouths of every river, canal and jalla so that the water of Surma river cannot enter the metropolis and if necessary it can be easily taken out. The necessary number of pump houses should be installed to remove the water accumulated inside during heavy rains through immediate irrigation.
Besides, the Osmani International Airport has to find a way to protect it from floods.
He emphasized on the excavation of Surma and Kushiara rivers, especially from Kushighat in Sylhet city to Tukerbazar, to prevent the erosion of Surma river and to complete the excavation in the upcoming winter season.
Additional Director General of Water Development Board (Planning, Design and Research) Dr Ziauddin Beg PEG and Additional Director General (Eastern Region) Md Mahbubur Rahman were special guests in the exchange meeting. Chief Engineer (North-East) S M Shahidul Islam presided over. Zakir Hossain, senior expert of the Institute of Water Modeling, presented a paper on the survey project. Project Director, Water Development Board Executive Engineer Asif Ahmed delivered the welcome speech.
Besides, Shahjalal University of Science and Technology teacher Dr Zaheer Bin Alam, District Fisheries Officer Abul Kalam Azad, President of Sylhet District Press Club Al Azad, senior journalists Iqbal Siddiqui and Humayun Rashid Chowdhury and local public representatives and ordinary citizens participated in the free discussion. Staff Reporter