Published: 10:46 AM, 07 September 2026
Shialjani Canal, a blessing, now turns into curse
Shialjani Canal was once a natural water flow and a major source of water for the Mohanganj Municipality. However, due to pollution and mismanagement, the canal has become a curse instead of a blessing as the drainage system has been blocked.
The canal is filled with sewage, construction waste, polythene and household waste. Dirt floats on the water, and a strong stench spreads. It is not only difficult to walk along the banks of the canal, but it is also difficult to walk along it.
The two-kilometer canal has become a garbage dump. This garbage, polluted water is now a safe breeding ground for mosquitoes and diseases. For the past few months, the residents of the municipality have been fed up with the stench of sewage water. Mohanganj Municipality claimed that the responsibility of keeping the canal clean lies with the Bangladesh Water Development Board (BWDB) as the board did not hand over to the municipality for supervision.
Meanwhile, BWDB claimed that the responsibility of maintaining the Shialjani Canal has been handed over to the municipal authorities long ago. The demands of the residents are lack of supervision, lack of awareness and no permanent solution is being found to eliminate garbage and pollution.
On Saturday, when visiting the Shialjani Canal area, it was seen that the existence of the canal is in crisis due to dumping of garbage and household waste. It has been learnt that the canal encroachment and beautification project was implemented in 2016 from the source of the Kangsa River to the Sapmara Canal through the Deothan area. The canal was re-excavated for a two-kilometer section of the canal and navigability was created there. Later, in 2018, the Water Development Board and the Mohanganj Municipality jointly started the excavation and beautification work of the canal in various stages at a cost of Tk 29 crore. At that time, illegal structures in the canal were demolished, re-excavated and bank conservation work was done.
Under that project, the government took up an initiative to demolish illegal structures in the 2.1 kilometer area of the canal, re-excavating and bank conservation and installing CC blocks on both sides of the canal to create water flow. Later, every year, work is done to remove clean waste and create navigability in the Kabikha project at a cost of lakhs of taka. However, garbage and pollution are not stopping.
Rafiquzzaman Idrisi, a resident and teacher of Daulatpur, Mohanganj, said, "We used to bathe in this canal when we were children, how clear the water in the canal was. For the sake of the local people, the government should restore the canal to its previous condition."
Samiran Roy, another resident of Daulatpur area of the municipality, said, "This canal was a blessing for us." The water of the canal originating from the Kansa River used to be used for the farmers' crops in the haor. But now it is no longer in that condition. The canal is now dead due to sewage and garbage."
He said, "If the government comes forward to clean this canal, the canal can come back to life."
Municipality engineer Saiful Amin said, "Water Development Board has not handed over the responsibility of the Shialjani Canal to us. Still, for the convenience of the residents of the municipality, we are installing night-time electricity systems on both banks of the canal and ensuring the safety of the residents. If the municipality were handed over the responsibility of maintaining and beautifying the canal, accountability and development could have been achieved. We want the canal to remain pollution-free."
Enayet Hossain, Deputy Assistant Engineer of BWDB in charge of Mohanganj, said, "Shialjani Canal is inside the municipality. After its development work, it has been handed over to the municipality. The municipality is responsible for keeping the canal clean."
Contacted, Mohanganj Municipal Administrator and UNO Amena Khatun said, "The traditional Shialjani Canal will be cleaned and decontaminated. The BWDB authority has been asked to take immediate action in this regard. There is a plan to start work next week."
>> Indrajit Sarkar, AA
