Thousands of residents in Narail’s Lohagara upazila continue to suffer recurring floods and crop losses as a long-awaited embankment project along the Madhumati River remains incomplete even seven years after its approval.
The unfinished project has left at least 6,000 acres of cropland and hundreds of homesteads in four unions vulnerable to seasonal flooding.
Local people said they had hoped the embankment would provide a permanent solution to decades of hardship.
However, despite the project’s approval in 2019, visible progress on the ground remains limited, the said.
Local administration and the Bangladesh Water Development Board (BWDB) sources said continuous riverbank erosion over the years has washed away paved roads along the Madhumati River.
Now river water regularly inundates vast stretches of agricultural land and residential areas, damaging crops and homes alike.
To address the situation, the then government approved a Tk 342 crore project at an Executive Committee of the National Economic Council (ECNEC) meeting in 2019.
The project involves constructing a 3.1-kilometre embankment from Kotakol to Ghagha Chairman’s House area in Dhaloitala under Lohagara upazila.
But legal disputes and objections from local residents delayed implementation for years.
After overcoming court-imposed restrictions, the BWDB and district administration formally began work on the project in 2023.
Although the project was originally scheduled for completion by June 2025, progress has remained slow despite two extensions of the deadline.
Residents claimed that apart from excavation work in some sections, there has been little visible advancement.
They also point to unresolved land acquisition issues as a major obstacle.
Official data show that of the 161 affected landowners whose land is required for the project, only 24 have so far received compensation.
People living in at least 15 villages across four unions have urged the authorities to expedite the construction, saying the embankment is essential to protect both farmland and homes from recurring floods.
“We have been waiting for years. Every monsoon brings uncertainty. Crops are damaged and water often enters our homes. The embankment must be completed as soon as possible,” said Monu Mia, a resident of the affected area.
However, some landowners whose properties fall within the project area insist that construction cannot proceed unless they receive compensation.
The contract value for the embankment construction has been fixed at Tk 5.95 crore.
Md Milon Ali, manager of SA UBJ, the contracting firm implementing the project, said the company has been facing significant difficulties due to unresolved land acquisition issues.
“We have not yet received possession of the entire project area from the Water Development Board. Whenever we try to work in certain locations, local residents obstruct the work, saying they will not allow construction until compensation is paid. As a result, we can only work in some sections. Once the land is fully handed over, the project can be completed quickly,” he said.
BWDB Executive Engineer Abhijit Kumar Saha said the project remained stalled until 2022 because of court orders, despite being approved in 2019.
“Construction activities started in 2023. However, local resistance and land-related complications have prevented the contractor from working regularly. Even after land boundaries are marked, the markers are sometimes removed. We hope the work can be accelerated once these issues are resolved,” he said.
Additional Deputy Commissioner (Revenue) Hosne Ara Tanni said the district administration had repeatedly identified and handed over the required land to the BWDB.
“So far, compensation cheques have been distributed to 24 verified claimants. Applications and documents submitted by the remaining affected landowners are being scrutinised, and compensation will be provided in phases,” she said.