Only five percent of the canal, excavated in the early 17th century by Islam Khan, the first Mughal Subedar of Dhaka, is visible now. The canal, meant to protect the city as well as to provide internal communication, flowed through the heart of the old town. A city corporation official said it built three box culverts in the canal under a project proposed by the World Bank in 1987 to improve the area’s environment. Asked about the project, Md Serajul Islam, the chief urban planner of the Dhaka South City Corporation, said he cannot speak in details without checking the papers. We will begin the work (to recover the canal) after taking charges from the WASA,” he said.

Source: bd News24 January 23, 2021 21:33 UTC