The government is set to undertake a Tk 567 crore project in its first phase, backed by World Bank funding, to protect the capital and surrounding areas from severe flooding and waterlogging.
The Bangladesh Water Development Board (BWDB) project, officially titled “Metro Dhaka Project [Goran Chatbari Retention Pond and Turag River Protection and Conservation Project (Phase 1)]”, is expected to be placed at this week’s meeting of the Executive Committee of the National Economic Council.
The project aims to protect the navigability of the Turag river and restore the Goran Chatbari retention pond adjacent to Mirpur and Uttara.
The International Development Association (IDA) of the World Bank will provide Tk 425 crore as a loan, covering the bulk of the project cost, according to sources at the Planning Commission.
The project is scheduled to be implemented from October 2025 to December 2028.
Under the project, approximately 2.35 million cubic metres of accumulated pollutants will be removed and disposed of from a 20.10km stretch of the Turag riverbed and the Goran Chatbari Retention Pond Area (GRPA).
An eco-friendly buffer zone will also be developed along the perimeter of the Turag and GRPA.
The project includes dredging and waste management involving 2.69 million cubic metres of waste in the Turag, alongside re-excavation involving 1.3 million cubic metres of waste management.
It also proposes constructing 5km of walkways and developing 2km of ecosystem infrastructure.
The Goran Chatbari pump station and its main retention pond play a critical role in draining rainwater from western Dhaka.
However, decades of unplanned urbanisation, encroachment and illegal landfilling have drastically reduced the pond’s holding capacity, resulting in prolonged waterlogging in Mirpur, Pallabi, Kalshi and adjacent areas even after light rain.
Under the proposal, rainwater runoff from Greater Mirpur, Uttara, Cantonment, DOHS, Baunia and surrounding industrial hubs drains through the Abdullahpur-Digun-Baunia-Rupnagar canals into the retention pond.
The water carries heavy chemical and domestic waste, which accumulates on the reservoir bed and reduces its capacity.
The project seeks to secure the pond’s boundaries, re-excavate the basin, clear river silt and upgrade pumping systems to ensure faster drainage.
The project is part of a broader plan to restore Dhaka’s surrounding “blue network”, including the Buriganga, Turag, Tongi Khal, Balu and Shitalakkhya, which remain severely degraded due to untreated industrial effluents, land grabbing and climate pressures.
