Sylhet Deputy Commissioner Md. Sarwar Alam announced that at least 50,000 people will participate in a canal excavation drive and one million trees will be planted in a single day in Sylhet. He said committees will be formed at the upazila level to decide within a week which canals will be excavated and where trees will be planted. The announcement came during a meeting on implementing the Prime Minister’s priority project for nationwide canal excavation and tree plantation, held at the Sylhet Deputy Commissioner’s office.

Sylhet City Corporation Administrator Abdul Kaiyum Chowdhury, who attended as chief guest, said the initiative is part of the government’s commitment to public welfare and election pledges. He emphasized that public awareness and collective participation are essential for full success and called for turning the program into a social movement. Other speakers included Member of Parliament M.A. Malik and Mufti Abul Hasan.

The nationwide program, launched on March 16, 2026, aims to improve irrigation, control floods, reduce waterlogging, and restore water bodies. Under the plan, about 20,000 kilometers of canals will be excavated or re-excavated over five years with coordination among four government agencies.