Published: 01:13 AM, 17 March 2026 Last Update: 01:19 AM, 17 March 2026
Echoes of The Earth: The Undying Spirit of Zia’s Canal Revolution
President Ziaur Rahman was an architect of dreams, a man of the soil. Having drenched the earth with his own labour, Ziaur Rahman embodies the resolve for a self-reliant nation. This photograph displays a rare moment captured during the canal-digging movement. - AA
Bangladesh Prime Minister Tarique Rahman on Monday (16 March 2026) inaugurated a nationwide canal excavation and re-excavation program by cutting soil with a spade at Sahapara canal in Kaharol upazila of Dinajpur. The program was launched around 12:27pm at Balrampur village of the upazila.
At the same time, the Prime Minister virtually inaugurated canal excavation and re-excavation works in 54 districts across the country, aimed at improving irrigation, increasing agricultural production and creating employment in rural areas. The initiative resurrects a program originally introduced by Bangladesh Nationalist Party (BNP) founder and martyred President Ziaur Rahman, who launched canal excavation across the country during his tenure.
After introducing the Family Card program earlier, Tarique launched the canal revival program to fulfill another election pledge made by BNP ahead of the 13th parliamentary elections.
Several thousand local people enthusiastically watched as Prime Minister Tarique Rahman himself dug the canal, following in the footsteps of his late father.
The Prime Minister reached Syedpur Airport from Dhaka by air at 10:15am on Monday. From there, he travelled by road to the Balrampur Sahapara area in Dinajpur. BNP leaders and activists stood along both sides of the road to greet him as his motorcade passed. This was Tarique Rahman’s first visit outside the capital since assuming office as the Prime Minister on 17 February 2026.
He addressed a mass gathering near the canal at Sahapara on Monday afternoon. The program is being jointly organized by the Water Resources Ministry and Bangladesh Nationalist Party (BNP). As Tarique Rahman inaugurated the nationwide canal re-digging project which started off from Dinajpur yesterday, Bangladesh embarks on what is the most ambitious hydraulic engineering project in its post-independence history. The initiative to restore 20,000 kilometers of waterways is not merely a political homage to the "Canal Digging Movement" of the late 1970s; it is a critical intervention aimed at reversing a half-century of hydrological decline.
The Crisis of the Sinking Delta Empirical data underscores the urgency. Since 1971, Bangladesh’s navigable waterway network has undergone a catastrophic contraction, plummeting from nearly 24,000km to a seasonal low of 4,347km. This decline is attributed to a combination of upstream transboundary water diversion, localized siltation, and systemic encroachment. The Joynagar canal in Keraniganj serves as a microcosm of this national crisis. Once it was a functional link between the Buriganga and Dhaleshwari while now its closure has led to localized "water-logging" and the destruction of the micro-ecosystem.
For a deltaic economy, the loss of these "capillary" waterways increases reliance on expensive, carbon-intensive groundwater extraction for irrigation—a practice that is increasingly unsustainable as water tables across the Barind tract and coastal belts continue to drop. The labour-centric paradigm which involves economic opportunities and technical utilization, a significant move forward in this 2026 mandate is the shift from purely mechanical dredging to a labor-intensive model which the new government has started implementing, igniting hope and trust across Bangladesh.
While previous administrations prioritized capital-heavy dredging contracts, the government mandated by voters on 12 February 2026 is emphasizing manual labor and community volunteerism. From a research perspective, this public engagement model offers dual benefits by instigating macroeconomic stimulus through utilizing manpower, the government dexterously adds speed and productivity to the rural economy of Bangladesh generating immediate employment for thousands of families. Historical precedents, such as certain projects of the 1970s imply that canals maintained by local communities are less prone to illegal dumping and encroachment and thus this drive spurs a strong sense of psychological ownership and makes village people feel that their status and role are recognized by the government.
However, the ruling hierarchy has to remain cautious that manual excavation might have limitations like the efficacy and depth required for major river arteries. To overcome such divergence the Prime Minister and his colleagues must ensure a rigorous Geographical Information System (GIS) mapping approach to maintain hydraulic gradients, preventing the newly dug canals from becoming stagnant basins of silt.
The National River Protection Commission (NRPC) identified over 28,000 illegal occupiers in 2022. These are not merely destitute settlers; they are often politically insulated industrial entities. Research indicates that the primary driver of riverine destruction is not natural siltation, but the "concrete choking" of canal mouths. The success of the 20,000km mission hinges on whether the new administration can transition from list-making to enforcement. Without a unified legal framework—such as the full implementation of the 2013 Water Act—the billions of taka invested in excavation may be reclaimed by silt and encroachers within a single monsoon cycle.
The canal digging program’s environmental parameters extend beyond water. The target to plant 250 million trees along the embankments represents a massive carbon sequestration effort. This "Green Guard" is essential for preventing the rapid refilling of canals due to river erosion. Providing a natural buffer against the rising temperatures that threaten Bangladesh’s agricultural productivity and thus dealing with the adverse impact of climate change will be hopefully reduced by re-excavating canals in Bangladesh.
The 20,000 kilometers canal revival is a bold experiment in "Hydraulic Diplomacy" and rural mobilization. To move beyond the rhetoric of legacy, the project requires an institutional shift toward transparency and scientific oversight. If the government can truly eliminate inconsistencies and can keep up the technical integrity of these waterways, it will not only secure the nation’s food and water sovereignty but also provide a global blueprint for deltaic restoration in the age of climate catastrophes. The Asian Age extends heartfelt best wishes for the all out success of the canal re-digging drive.
Dr. Jesmin Chowdhury is
Editor-in-Chief of The Asian
Age and an eminent physician.
