Kodalichhara: A Story of Transformation

Reminiscence of the Old Days
Moulvibazar, the land of enchanting natural beauty, is a renowned tourist district. Known as the land of tea, Moulvibazar is also fondly called the “daughter of nature.” This three-dimensional district is blessed with diversity—hills and hillocks in some areas, plains in others, and vast stretches of wetlands, haors, baors, canals, and beels elsewhere. Once, Kodalichhara was one such vast water body. This centuries-old canal, the natural source of water flow, stands as a witness to many ups and downs of history. Once grand in size, volume, and flow, Kodalichhara’s past glory was sky-high.

It feels inspiring to think that the canal, once on the verge of disappearing due to obstructed water flow — once the source of sorrow for Moulvibazar — is now regaining its century-old heritage through the tireless efforts of a few visionary individuals. Kodalichhara stands as a shining example of how people can unite around a single cause.

Large sailboats once glided along this canal, carrying villagers with their goods to the town. In those days, there was a long ferry crossing between the Barshijora Hills and the Dinarpur Hills of Athangiri. On both banks, golden paddy fields spread far and wide. For many, fishing in this canal was their main source of livelihood. Countless newly married brides once crossed this route to their husband’s homes for the first time, and many of them still live cherishing those happy memories.

This Kodalichhara built a deep and intimate connection between the town and the surrounding villages. But the greedy eyes of land grabbers brutally divided and destroyed this 17-kilometer stretch of love. At various points, the once-smooth channel became blocked and distorted. As navigability diminished, silt accumulated in the generous heart of the canal. Farmers lost their golden harvests of Aman and Boro rice and searched with heavy hearts for the joy of the new harvest. Illegal encroachment, random dumping of garbage, the loss of navigability, and overgrown bushes turned this cherished waterway into a lost memory. The city’s people, suffering from unbearable waterlogging in various parts, began to suffocate with frustration.

Kodalichhara, Born of Barshijora
Originating from the Barshijora Hills on the eastern edge of Moulvibazar town, Kodalichhara flows through the district headquarters and merges westward into Hail Haor. Over the course of time, this canal has become the only natural drainage system for the city’s wastewater. Of the total 17 kilometers of Kodalichhara, about 3.7 kilometers flow through the municipal area of Moulvibazar town. The rest of it lies outside the town, extending through the unions of Mostafapur, Giasnagar, and Nazirabad under Sadar Upazila.
Due to illegal encroachments by land grabbers and unplanned infrastructure development, the once 30–40-foot-wide canal has now narrowed to only 10–15 feet in most places along its course.

Rebellion Everywhere
The Bengali nation has always risen again from every crisis. Whenever their backs were against the wall, they stood tall with indomitable courage to demand their rights. Seeing Kodalichhara—the cherished legacy of their ancestors—lose its very existence before their eyes, the people rose in protest. Expressions of defiance began to appear everywhere—in writing, poetry, and journalism. Conscious citizens of the district had long been demanding the excavation of Kodalichhara. Numerous human chains were formed. Memorandums were repeatedly submitted to the administration and relevant departments.

Journalists continued to publish awareness reports about Kodalichhara, one after another, in electronic and print media. Dream-driven young men and women like Hasanat Kamal and Dora Prentis launched an inspiring online campaign called “Let’s Build the Dream City Moulvibazar.” Through this Facebook page, people from all walks of life in Moulvibazar shared their opinions and helped strengthen the movement to save Kodalichhara.

Various Initiatives
From the beginning, Moulvibazar Municipality was keen to restore the heritage of Kodalichhara. Former chairmen and mayors also took some initiatives to revive the canal’s glory. But none could overcome the immense challenges and obstacles.

To bring smiles back to the faces of thousands of farmers in the region, the Bangladesh Agricultural Development Corporation (BADC), under the Sylhet Division Small Irrigation Development Project, excavated about 4 kilometers of the Kodalichhara canal. Earlier, the Local Government Engineering Department (LGED) had also conducted surveys and carried out some work on the canal. The Water Development Board prepared a project plan for Kodalichhara as well.

However, many opined that even if 4 kilometers were excavated, the problems of waterlogging and flow would not be fully resolved unless the remaining part—passing through Anikelibari, Noyanchhiri, and Markona villages under Giasnagar Union—was also dredged. And before such work could begin, the foremost necessity was to free the numerous encroached portions of Kodalichhara from illegal occupation.

Clearing the Encroachments Was the Hardest Task
To free the Kodalichhara canal — the only drainage channel of Moulvibazar town — from illegal occupation, the municipality organized ward-based meetings under the leadership of the mayor, with the cooperation of local leaders and municipal councilors. At different times, with the support and assistance of the administration, police, and expatriates, the municipal authorities were eventually able to free most parts of the Kodalichhara canal from encroachment. The renewed water flow in the reclaimed sections brought new hope to everyone’s hearts.

That Fire Spread Everywhere
Under the chairmanship of Deputy Commissioner Md. Tofayel Islam, the district administration organized the first meeting on Kodalichhara on January 10, 2017. Both online and offline, awareness campaigns on Kodalichhara were at their peak, and the dream of dredging the canal through voluntary labor was about to become reality. The second meeting took place on January 10, 2018, also chaired by Deputy Commissioner Md. Tofayel Islam. In the presence of public representatives, executive engineers, officials of various government and non-government departments, journalists, and representatives of social and cultural organizations, it was decided that on February 10, a voluntary canal cleaning and dredging campaign would be carried out. All social and cultural organizations, government and non-government institutions, and individuals of the town would participate. To mark the occasion, an awareness rally would be held on February 8. Organizations and institutions interested in joining the voluntary work were requested to register by January 25 with the program coordinators — Additional Deputy Commissioner (Revenue) Ashraful Alam Khan, Moulvibazar Municipality Executive Engineer Abul Hossain Khan, District Children’s Affairs Officer Jasim Uddin Masud, and BTV District Correspondent Hasanat Kamal.

Another exchange meeting on the voluntary dredging of Kodalichhara was held on February 6, 2018, in the conference room of the Deputy Commissioner’s Office. The meeting unanimously decided that the voluntary cleaning campaign would cover about three kilometers within the municipal area — from Moulvibazar Technical School and College to South Kolimabad. Volunteers were divided into six groups.

The first group, led by Moulvibazar Business Forum, would work from Moulvibazar Technical School and College to the TV Hospital Road culvert. The second group, under the district administration, from the TV Hospital culvert to Moulvibazar Press Club.The third group, under the municipality, from Press Club to Sultanpur culvert. The fourth group, under the District Council, from Sultanpur culvert to Tikkarbari Graveyard. The fifth group, under the Chamber of Commerce and Industry, from Tikkarbari Graveyard to South Kolimabad culvert. The sixth group, under the District Police, and the seventh group, under the District Sports Association, would carry out cleaning and dredging work on the remaining sections.

The Glorious Day Arrived
February 10, 2018, was a remarkable and shining day in the history of Moulvibazar district — the day when ordinary people joined hands in voluntary labor to clean and dredge Kodalichhara canal to eliminate the town’s waterlogging. The day-long program, jointly organized by the Moulvibazar District Administration and Municipality, began with a colorful rally from the Deputy Commissioner’s office, which paraded through the town’s main streets and ended with a large gathering near the Press Club at the canal site. The voluntary cleaning and dredging campaign was inaugurated by Syeda Saira Mohsin, then Member of Parliament for Moulvibazar-3 constituency. Present at the event were current MP Nesar Ahmed, Deputy Commissioner Md. Tofayel Islam, former District Council Chairman Azizur Rahman, current Chairman Misbahur Rahman, Municipal Mayor Fazlur Rahman, Chamber of Commerce and Industry President and Sadar Upazila Chairman Md. Kamal Hossain, officials from government and non-government departments, the Press Club, all educational institutions, and hundreds of volunteers from social, sports, professional, and cultural organizations, along with citizens from all walks of life.

Over a thousand volunteers from seven teams — District Administration, District Council, District Police, Municipality, Chamber of Commerce and Industry, Business Forum, and District Sports Association — worked simultaneously in designated areas to clean and dredge the canal. Additionally, awareness campaigns were conducted among residents living along both sides of the canal to prevent dumping of garbage and waste. The event of February 10, 2018, stood as a shining example that a sincere initiative can indeed bring about great change.

The Mayor Fazlur Rahman Earned Recognition for His Work
With the successful participation of people from all walks of life in Moulvibazar, the driving force behind this remarkable transformation of Kodalichhara’s landscape was none other than the Mayor of Moulvibazar Municipality, Fazlur Rahman.

Following the Kodalichhara campaign, and with the aim of continuing this dream journey, the municipality immediately purchased two excavators to carry on the remaining dredging work. The mayor had always been vocal in support of the long-standing demand of townspeople to free Kodalichhara from illegal encroachment, and to restore, clean, and dredge the canal.

Through tireless day-and-night efforts, he eventually fell seriously ill — but the district administration duly recognized his hard work and dedication. As a mark of appreciation for the success of the project, Deputy Commissioner Md. Tofayel Islam presented Mayor Fazlur Rahman with a commemorative plaque of honor.

A New Life for Kodalichhara
Once regarded as the sorrow of Moulvibazar town, Kodalichhara has now been revived with new life. Areas like TB Hospital Road, Churchpara, and Arambagh, which once went under knee- to waist-deep water even after light rain, are now completely free from waterlogging — not a single incident has occurred in the past three monsoon seasons since the dredging of Kodalichhara.

In earlier times, when the canal would get clogged, farmers’ fields would be submerged and crops destroyed — but those days are now gone. The sweet fragrance of newly harvested paddy has brought smiles to thousands of farming families. Breaking all past records, this year the haor region has seen a bumper Aman harvest, flooding the area with overwhelming joy. Every farmer’s home is now alive with the celebration of Nabanna, the festival of new rice cakes.

For the sake of dredging, at least fifty citizens voluntarily demolished their own boundary walls and houses built on Kodalichhara’s banks. Others who still have structures there are expected to follow suit soon — yielding to the united, unstoppable public demand to remove all remaining obstacles from Kodalichhara.

Let Kodalichhara Become the Stream of New Life
The dismal picture of Kodalichhara has now changed significantly through canal dredging and the recovery of occupied lands. The canal holds immense social and economic importance. Its preservation is everyone’s responsibility — only through collective awareness can its benefits be sustained.

Responding to the demands of townspeople, the municipal authorities prepared a project and appointed contractors. Within the 3.7 kilometers of the canal flowing through the town, 2.6 kilometers of both banks have been developed with guide walls and an attractive walkway at a cost of 230 million BDT. For safety, there is adequate lighting, stainless steel railing grills, and CCTV cameras. There are also public toilet facilities for visitors.

With guide walls on both sides, residents now freely use the 2.6 km walkway for morning walks and exercise, contributing to public health. Moreover, this beautifully illuminated walkway has made the tourist district of Moulvibazar even more attractive.

It feels inspiring to think that the canal, once on the verge of disappearing due to obstructed water flow — once the source of sorrow for Moulvibazar — is now regaining its century-old heritage through the tireless efforts of a few visionary individuals. Kodalichhara stands as a shining example of how people can unite around a single cause.

Today, locals enjoy the sight of the canal’s uninterrupted water flow, the scenic walkways on both banks, and people strolling under neon lights far into the distance.

May Kodalichhara truly become the pathway of dreams — a stream of new life.

Read more: Wetlands Under Threat in Bangladesh – Initiatives to Protect

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