Mansur Alam, Pabna: The Bangladesh Army is implementing the Pabna Ichamati River Revitalization Mega Project.
The project includes 110.14 km of river re-dredge work, construction of 10 km of retaining walls in the city, construction of 10 km of drains on both banks of the river, construction/reconstruction of 23 bridges, construction of 56 ghatlas on both banks of Ichamati, construction of 10 km of walkways on both banks, and beautification work through planting 42,310 trees.
These works have been divided into a total of six slots and contractors have been appointed. The re-dredge work of Ichamati River has already started on May 25, 2024. This excavation work has started from Jagannathpur village next to Madhpur in Santhia Upazila of the river. The contractor MS Ahad Builders is doing the excavation work and is being supervised by the 24 Engineer Construction Brigade of the Bangladesh Army.
The deadline for the work has been set for March 31, 2027. It is learned from reliable sources that the construction/reconstruction work of 23 bridges in this mega project has already been given to the contractor Tanvir Construction Limited (TCL). They are expected to start work in Pabna city very soon. Because they have already set up a camp next to the leather godown at Hajir Hat and started storing goods. Meanwhile, the design team has been observing the construction of 10 km drains on both banks of the river and 10 km walkways on both banks. The draft design has already come from the Bangladesh Army. It is expected that the final copy of the drainage and 10 km walkway construction work on both banks will start. On-site observation of the Ataikula-Bhawanipur area of the Ichamati river has shown that a total of 75 vacuum machines are continuously digging from 7:30 am to 6 pm in this excavation work. They have already progressed through Jagannathpur, Bhabanipur, Shibpur, Ataikula to Saradangi. Talking to the director of the contractor, M/s Ahad Builders, it is learned that the excavation work has been a little slow due to the monsoon season. However, now is the dry season. Therefore, it is expected that the work will be done very quickly and we will be able to move towards the city very quickly. As you know, the excavation work of the Ichamati river is being done in a ratio of 1:2. That is, in this case, if the river excavation work is deepened by 20 feet, then the slope of the river dike will be 40 feet. The slope of the river is at least 11.5 meters.
The water level of the river has been taken at least 25.7 meters. However, in the CS plan, if the river area is wide somewhere, there will be more water there. The walkway on both banks of the river will be at least 10 feet and it will be more in different places. It is worth noting that an allocation of Tk 1,554 crore has been made for the Ichamati River Revitalization Mega Project.
Noted that, Icchamati River is a trans-boundary river which flows through India and Bangladesh and also forms part of the boundary between the two countries. The river is facing siltation leading to thin flow of water in the dry season and floods in the rainy season. Experts are considering remedial measures and the situation is being discussed between the governments of India and Bangladesh.
