Sylhet's Persistent Flooding: Over 1 Billion Spent Without Resolution, New 4.5 Billion Project Launched

Sylhet city continues to grapple with severe waterlogging issues despite the expenditure of over 1.127 billion Taka on drainage and canal dredging projects between 2009 and 2025. The Gaviar Canal, once navigable by boat, has been significantly encroached upon and reduced in width and depth due to illegal structures, including the Local Government Engineering Department (LGED) office itself. While an anti-encroachment drive was conducted in 2013, it was incomplete, failing to fully resolve the issue or restore the canal's original course. Similar problems plague the city's 39 other small and large canals that feed into the Surma River. Environmentalists criticize the lack of effective implementation and unplanned development as reasons for the persistent flooding, which affects over fifty areas after moderate rainfall. In response, a new project worth 4.635 billion Taka has been inaugurated by Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina, aiming for a permanent solution to the city's waterlogging problems. City officials assure that future projects will be meticulously planned.

Sylhet's ongoing struggle with severe waterlogging, despite substantial past investments, highlights systemic failures in urban planning and project implementation, necessitating a new, large-scale project to address the persistent issue.