With only two days remaining, for constructing crop protection dams in the haors of Sunamganj district, there are no signs of completing the construction and repair work increasing risks for farmers. 

Local farmers have expressed concerns that it may take another 15 days to finish the entire project. The time limit for constructing crop protection dams in haors was from 15 December to 28 February.
Like in previous years, anxiety and fear are prevailing among farmers, who worry that their Boro fields which they have worked hard to cultivate, may be submerged by floodwaters from the mountains if the work is not completed as soon as possible.

Local sources said most of the construction started in February, and in many cases, sand has been used instead of soil and most dams don’t have any signboards.

This year, Boro was cultivated on 224,000 hectares of land in the district. Currently, 686 dam projects are underway across 53 haors in 12 upazilas. According to the progress report from the Water Development Board (WDB), the least progress has been made in the Tahirpur upazila, where 76 projects witnessed only 73% progress. This Upazila produces Boro rice worth approximately Tk2.5 crore.

On the contrary, WDB on 20 February claimed that overall, 82% of work has been completed. Bijan Sen Roy, general secretary of the central committee of the Haor Bachao Andolan noted that “Every year, there is a disconnect between the WDB's assessments and the actual state of dam construction. The condition of the fields is poor, and there has been negligence in completing the work from the beginning. If the work is not completed on time again, the crops will be at risk, and the concerned authorities must take responsibility.”

After visiting the dam construction on projects such as Matian Haor and Tanguar Haor near the Sadar police station in Tahirpur, the Daily Sun correspondent witnessed the poor condition of the dams and work began a month late. Some projects have stalled due to soil dumping, while others only commenced three to four days ago. To protect Matian Haor located in front of the Sadar police station, a large area along the River Boulai has yet to be filled with soil.

Farmers living near Matian and Tanguar haors have alleged that the dam construction work was conducted reluctantly at the beginning and rushed toward the end. This approach has led to allegations of corruption in the name of the work, which farmers believe will not benefit them. Many fear that the dams would collapse under even minimal water pressure.

According to sources from the WDB in Sunamganj, the dam construction work is ongoing with an estimated budget of Tk127 crore, of which Tk87 crore has been allocated, so far. A locally formed Project Implementation Committee (PIC) is overseeing the projects.

Project No 68 is located in the middle of Gazipur village, on the eastern bank of the River Kendua River, aimed at protecting crops in Matian Haor in Tahirpur.

The project's general secretary, Solaiman Mia, stated, "On one hand, we are facing a shortage of soil; on the other hand, we have only received one instalment for the bill. Additionally, the excavator machine that will be used for this work is currently being used elsewhere. We will complete the work on this dam within a week."

Monir Hossain, deputy assistant engineer of WDB and in charge of Tahirpur Upazila, acknowledged delays in forming the PIC for various reasons, including soil shortages. However, he mentioned that the pace of work has now increased. Sunamganj WDB Executive Engineer and Member Secretary of the District Committee for Haor Dam Construction Md Mamun Hawlader said, "We are striving to complete the earthworks in all projects within the stipulated time."