The government has set a target to re-excavate 318.639 kilometres of canals under the Bangladesh Water Development Board during the remaining period of the current fiscal year to improve irrigation and drainage in agricultural lands.

Water Resources Minister Md Shahiduddin Chowdhury Anee disclosed this in Parliament on Wednesday while replying to a starred question from Jamaat-e-Islami lawmaker Shahjahan Chowdhury (Chattogram-15).

The minister said the canal re-excavation programme is aimed at strengthening irrigation and drainage systems, boosting agricultural production and ensuring better water management across farming areas.

He said Prime Minister Tarique Rahman inaugurated a nationwide canal excavation and re-excavation programme on March 16, 2026, at Balarampur in Kaharole upazila of Dinajpur district as part of the government’s election pledge to restore rivers, canals and other water bodies.

He said under a 180-day programme, the Ministry of Water Resources, the Local Government Division and the Ministry of Agriculture will jointly excavate or re-excavate 1,204 kilometres of canals by June, 2026.

Besides, the Ministry of Disaster Management and Relief will re-excavate and renovate another 1,500 kilometres of canals within the same timeframe through Food for Work (Kabikha), Cash for Work (Kabita) and Test Relief (TR) programmes.

He added that, in line with the government’s election manifesto, further canal excavation and re-excavation will be carried out under ongoing and new projects to achieve the nationwide target of 20,000 kilometres.