Borguna Rainwater Project Marred by Corruption and Missing Infrastructure
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A multi-million-dollar government project designed to provide potable water to thousands of families in Bangladesh’s coastal Borghuna district has become the center of a corruption scandal, with contractors receiving nearly full payment despite failing to complete the work. According to local reports, the Department of Public Health Engineering (DPHE) has disbursed payments for a 360-million-taka project that remains largely unfinished and riddled with construction deficiencies.
The initiative, aimed at installing rainwater harvesting systems across 10 districts, was intended to supply 5,542 households in Borghuna with storage tanks and necessary infrastructure. Contracts for the work were awarded to Mehsars Kamal Enterprise. Despite project documentation claiming completion for one of the three contract packages and 78 to 96 percent completion for the others, field investigations reveal that many sites remain abandoned, featuring only rudimentary platforms without the required tanks, filters, or piping.
বিজ্ঞাপন
Under official government guidelines, the release of final project payments is contingent upon receiving certification from beneficiaries, submission of financial contribution receipts, and verification reports from field officers. Investigations, however, indicate that these requirements were bypassed. DPHE officials reportedly obstructed access to records for months, providing the necessary documentation only after formal requests were filed under the Right to Information Act.
On-site inspections conducted in May—eight months after initial reports of irregularities—showed no significant progress at various project locations. Beneficiaries across several villages, including those in the Borghuna Sadar and Patharghata sub-districts, reported that contractors poured concrete bases using substandard materials and then abandoned the sites. Many residents confirmed they never signed off on project completion because the work was never finalized.
বিজ্ঞাপন
When questioned regarding the discrepancies, project director Badshah Mia maintained that official records should reflect accurate progress, promising to investigate specific claims of incomplete work. Former executive engineer Raisul Islam, who oversaw the payments, stated that he could not immediately recall the status of the specific packages. Meanwhile, the current executive engineer for Borghuna, Shishir Kumar Biswas, indicated that he is reviewing the files and noted that any evidence of fraud or negligence would be met with disciplinary action.
Experts have criticized the mismanagement of the project, noting that it has squandered a critical opportunity to address the severe drinking water crisis in the coastal region. Water rights advocates are now calling for a full investigation into the financial oversight of the project, urging authorities to hold those responsible for the misappropriation of public funds accountable. The project, which began in July 2022, has had its deadline extended until December 2025 due to the persistent implementation failures.
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