ZCZC
BSS-22
RCC-POND-CONSERVATION (with picture)
RCC to conserve 22 ponds in Rajshahi city
RAJSHAHI, Oct 7, 2018 (BSS) – Rajshahi City Corporation (RCC) has taken
an initiative to conserve and renovate 22 natural ponds in the city aiming to
retain its surface water resources to protect environment from further
degradation.
The city corporation has adopted a Tk 752-crore development project
titled ‘Natural Water Bodies Conservation and Development in Rajshahi City’
to protect the ponds. RCC mayor AHM Khairuzzaman Liton approved the project
at his office today.
Liton said 22 ponds will be conserved and necessary land will be
acquired for the purpose. “None would be allowed to fill up the ponds.”
Under the project, embankments of the ponds will be built with concrete
wall and ponds will be excavated. Concrete stair will be constructed in all
the developed ponds to make those attractive among city dwellers and
facilitate them to use those suitably.
RCC Chief Engineer Ashraful Haque said there were 729 ponds and canals in
the metropolis in 2002, but the number declined to 393 now due to
indiscriminate dumping of waste and unplanned urbanisation.
Due to usual decline of surface water, he said, dependence on
groundwater has been increasing day by day for ensuring smooth water supply
to the city dwellers causing rapid decline of groundwater level in the last
couple of years.
The situation deteriorates during every dry season leaving most of the
hand-driven tubewell inoperative. “We’ve no alternative to conservation of
surface water resources to remain the groundwater table intact,” he said.
Once the project is implemented, Ashraful said, the endangered fish
species could be protected from extinction apart from increasing fish
production.
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