University to be built in Sunamganj Haor

Water stretches in every direction. Only a few electricity poles rise above the surface. On 125 acres of such land, now under water, work is underway to establish a university in Sunamganj. The government project, named Sunamganj University of Science and Technology, is currently awaiting approval at the Planning Commission.

The proposed campus is within Dekhar Haor, the second-largest haor (wetland) in Sunamganj. The land lies on the border of Sunamganj Sadar and Shantiganj upazilas, about 15 kilometers from Sunamganj town. According to local residents, the area remains submerged for nearly seven months of the year.

In July 2023, the Department of Environment cleared the acquisition of the land. Of the 125 acres, 100 acres are used for paddy cultivation, 15 acres are fallow, nearly five acres are graveyards, and about one acre serves as seedbeds. Some of the land is also classified as beel (wetland) or residential.

From the outset, there has been political debate over the location of the university. Local politicians wanted it closer to their constituencies. The site eventually chosen lies near the home of former Planning Minister M A Mannan. At the same time, a long-standing movement has been pushing for the university to be established in the district Sadar instead.

Monajir Hossain, member secretary of the Sunamganj University Implementation in District Sadar Movement, told Prothom Alo, “Dekhar Haor is Sunamganj’s granary of Boro crops in the dry season, and in the monsoon it becomes a hub of freshwater fish. It is also grazing land and a habitat for birds and other species. We oppose destroying this natural home of rice and biodiversity to build a university.”

He added, “The haors are already losing their character due to pollution and encroachment. People of all professions in the district want the university built on higher land near the district town, not by destroying haor. We have proposed three alternative sites—Jugirgaon in Lakshmansree Union, Ratansree in Gourarang Union, and near Hasan Nagar in Sunamganj Municipality.”

Approved during previous govt

The Awami League government passed a law on 26 November 2020 to establish Sunamganj University of Science and Technology. In August 2023, the University Grants Commission (UGC) approved the start of academic activities.

Since then, the university has begun enrolling students for the 2023–24 academic year at three rented institutions in Shantiganj upazila. Currently, 160 students are studying in four departments.

According to the law, the university would be located on the banks of Dekhar Haor, which spans four upazilas of Sunamganj. However, the law did not specify the exact site.

On 13 June 2023, the Ministry of Education gave administrative approval for acquiring land for the campus. Five days later, on 18 June, the university requested the district administration to take necessary measures for land acquisition. On 20 August 2024, the district administration formed a committee to examine feasibility and give its opinion.

When asked, Sunamganj Deputy Commissioner Mohammad Ileas Mia told Prothom Alo that the committee could not work earlier due to excessive water in the haor. Now, regarding land acquisition, the district administration will proceed according to the instructions of the authorities.

According to university sources, after the Sunamganj University of Science and Technology authorities submitted the project to the University Grants Commission (UGC), the UGC sent it to the Ministry of Education on 30 June.

Ministry sources said they forwarded the project to the Planning Commission the very next day. The estimated cost of the project has been set at Tk 2.99 billion. The commission identified several inconsistencies in the project and returned it. After revisions, the university resubmitted the project to the Ministry of Education last week.

Kayyum Ara, Secretary of the Socioeconomic Division of the Planning Commission, told Prothom Alo that once the Planning Commission approves the project, it will go to ECNEC (the Executive Committee of the National Economic Council).

During the tenure of the Awami League government, ousted in the July mass uprising, approval was granted for establishing one university after another. Questions remain about the necessity of these universities and the quality of education they offer.

Currently, Bangladesh has 61 public universities, of which 53 are operational. The rest are awaiting inauguration. According to UGC data, 18 public universities still do not have their own campuses. Since 2013, the government has passed laws to establish these universities. Teachers have been recruited and students admitted, but permanent campuses have not been built for all. Construction of permanent campuses is ongoing for only three of them.

Rabindra University, established in Chalan Beel, sparked controversy. Similarly, the decision to establish Sunamganj University of Science and Technology in the haor region has drawn criticism.

UGC member Professor Tanzimuddin Khan told Prothom Alo that the location of universities has become a matter of debate. The UGC emphasises the importance of protecting haors and wetlands, and has issued directives discouraging acquisition of wetlands, haors, and homesteads.

On-site observations

According to the administrative approval issued by the Ministry of Education, the designated plots and survey numbers for the university have been specified. It states that 125 acres of land across 132 plots will be acquired in Kathair Mouza of Sunamganj Sadar upazila and Joykolosh Mouza of Shantiganj upazila.

The feasibility study of Sunamganj University of Science and Technology includes a map marking the designated land. During a visit on 24 August, it was found that the proposed site lies between the Nainda River on the right and a government food warehouse on the left. The site is quite far from the main road, with no access road leading directly to it.

The area is sparsely populated. At that time, a young man named Shahid Hasan was returning by boat after fishing in the haor. A local resident, he agreed to guide visitors through the proposed site. Boarding his dinghy, it was seen that all the designated land lay underwater.

Vice-chancellor of Sunamganj University of Science and Technology, professor Nizam Uddin, had earlier told Prothom Alo that the site is not inside the haor but on its edge. Most of the work on the matter had been completed before he took office. The decision now depends on the government.

Boatman Shahid, however, said the land remains submerged for seven months a year, with water depths reaching up to five feet in some places.

Environmentalists argue that although most of the land lies outside the main haor, it is privately owned. During monsoon, floodwaters flow across these lands. If structures are gradually built there, it will harm the haor’s ecosystem.

The proposed site lies about 1.5 kilometres from the house of former Planning Minister MA Mannan. Local sources said he initially wanted the university to be set up in Sunamganj Sadar upazila town. Four then-MPs opposed it, alleging that Mannan sought to establish the university near his ancestral home.

Speaking to Prothom Alo, Mannan said that after the allegations, then-Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina asked him to identify a new site. A new location was then selected. He added that if someone can find a better site, the university should be built there. He also said he does not own any land in the proposed site, and has donated his own homestead for a school. However, he acknowledged that whatever is built in Sunamganj will inevitably impact the haor, as the entire district is flood-prone.

Shrinking haor wetlands

According to the 2012 Haor Megaproject, Sunamganj has 95 haors covering about 269,000 hectares. During the monsoon, floodwaters from Assam, Tripura, and Meghalaya flow through this region.

A study conducted by two students of Bangladesh University of Engineering and Technology (BUET) and the Institute of Planning and Development (IPD) found that in 1988, haors across Bangladesh covered around 3,034 square kilometres. By 2020, the area had shrunk to about 406 square kilometres.

Sajal Kanti Sarkar, coordinator of the environmental group Dhoriti Rokkhay Amra (DHORA) in Sunamganj, told Prothom Alo that building a university there would disrupt the flow of the Nainda River. He added that residential areas and shops would soon emerge around it, triggering a rush to fill up land. In the long run, this would harm agriculture, fisheries, and biodiversity in the haor region.

*This report, originally published in Prothom Alo print edition, has been rewritten in English by Farjana Liakat