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Work has started to dredge river banks to prevent erosion by Arial Khan river at Sadarpur of Faridpur.
On completion of the work, it will be possible to prevent yearly erosion in the river. In addition to protecting thousands of acres of cropland, the settlements will be protected.
Faridpur Water Development Board (WDB) sources said the work of conserving the bank of the Arial Khan started from FY 2018-2019.
The work, divided into ten groups at a cost of Tk 292 crore, will include the preservation of 5.38 km of river banks and dredging of 6.3 km river. The project will end in June 2021.
Farmer Habib Khan (58), a long-time resident of the area, said that since birth, we have been the victim of erosion of Aryal Khan. After erosion for the fourth time, I have settled at the present place. Now that the river bank will be well done, they will be able to live safely with their families.
Another farmer named Nurul Alam (61) said that for the last 50 years, I have seen erosion in this Arial Khan river. Now I am dreaming of a new settlement as this work has started.
A visit to the spot revealed that at Kolasia, block work will be replaced by dredging along the river.
Iqbal Hossain proprietor of the contractor company Messrs Noor Enterprise said that I started work on dredging and block construction in November last year. So far 60 per cent of the dredging has been completed. The block work make up about 90 per cent of the work.
Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina was notified after the visit of the then Water Resources Minister Anwar Hossain Manju. Then the project was approved by Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina. The then water minister Anwar Hossain Manju said that the implementation of the project work will bring back the security of the people's property as well as financial transparency.
Faridpur Water Development Board Executive Engineer Sultan Mahmud said Arial Khan is one of the three major rivers in the district.
Since independence, people of this area have been suffering from the erosion of Arial Khan river. Every year during the monsoon season, roads, houses and crop lands were damaged due to the erosion of Arial Khan river.
It will be possible to prevent these losses if the project is implemented. Monitoring is being done regularly to ensure quality of work. He expressed optimism that the work would be completed within the given period.