Photo : BSS

NARAYANGANJ, Aug 11, 2026 (BSS) - State Minister for Water Resources Farhad Hossain Azad today said no individual or group would be allowed to grab river and canal land or create waterlogging.

"As part of the government's commitment to excavate 20,000 kilometres of rivers and canals across the country, the administration has launched drives to remove illegal encroachments from canals in Rupganj. All such eviction drives will be conducted with public participation," he said.

The state minister made the remarks while talking to journalists after inspecting drainage canals and irrigation projects under the Water Development Board in Rupganj.

Recalling the history of irrigation and water management in the region, Azad said Shaheed President Ziaur Rahman initiated the Narayanganj-Narsingdi Agroni Irrigation Project in 1976.

The project was completed in 1984 with Japanese technology and assistance from the Japan International Cooperation Agency (JICA), he said.