Civic Bodies to Get Charge of City Canals: Minister

The two Dhaka corporations will be entrusted with the responsibility of maintaining the city's canals by January next year, 

Local Government and Rural Development (LGRD) Minister Md Tajul Islam said on Saturday.

Currently, the federal government is responsible for the upkeep of all water bodies in the capital.

"The process will begin once we get a report from the committee formed to shift the responsibilities of the city's canals to the two civic bodies. Hopefully, the process will conclude within January," the Minister said on the sidelines of a program at the Dhaka Water Supply and Sewerage Authority (Wasa) Bhawan.

On squatters in the vicinity of the city's water bodies, the Minister said, ''The river and the canals adjacent to the capital will be freed from encroachers shortly, no matter who they are. No one is above the law."

Islam also lauded Wasa for its effective role amid Covid. "Despite the pandemic and the consequent lockdown, Wasa has managed to sustain uninterrupted water supply to the capital, and there was also no water scarcity across the country," he said.

Responding to a poser on the rise in COVID cases in Bangladesh, the Minister said, "The government is on alert and prepared to face the second wave of coronavirus." However, he cautioned that there's no alternative to frequent hand washing and wearing masks to prevent COVID-19.