Ashrayan Project in Dumuria: Flooded homes push families into uncertainty

Fifty-six houses under an Ashrayan project in Dumuria upazila, Khulna, have been under knee-deep water for the past two months due to flooding.
The Ashrayan project, initiated by the former government under the Prime Minister’s Office, was intended to provide homes for the homeless. Despite the then regime declaring the programme as a huge success, allegations of using substandard construction materials and unplanned development started surfacing shortly after.
For example, these homes in Khulna were constructed in a low-lying area, previously a riverbed.
Despite experts warning of waterlogging, the project officials pressed on with building the homes on this particular site.
The canals, which are supposed to drain floodwater into the Shoilmari, Salta, and Bhadra rivers, are clogged with silt, and malfunctioning sluice gates have worsened the situation. As a result, water has not receded from these homes and adjacent areas for months.
A recent visit revealed that homes were inundated both inside and out, with residents struggling to cope.
Many families, like Shiuli Begum, 55, have been forced to relocate due to unhygienic conditions.
 “Our homes are now uninhabitable. I thought we would finally have a place to live after years, but I was forced to abandon the place due to waterlogging,” she said.
Majada Begum, another resident, spoke of her son suffering from skin rashes due to contact with the polluted water. “All our furniture has been ruined, and the plaster on the walls is damaged,” she added.
Abdul Bari, a displaced resident, questioned the government’s failure to ensure a safe place for them to live. “Flooding persists for half the year,” he said. “This year, the local representatives haven’t even visited us. Where is their accountability?”
Local union parishad member Abdul Goffur Gazi criticised the site selection, claiming that despite repeated objections, the former Dumuria upazila nirbahi officer went ahead with the project.
Dumuria’s current UNO, Mohammad Al-Amin, attributed the flooding to silted canals and damaged sluice gates. He said efforts were being made with the Bangladesh Water Development Board to address the problem.