The water resources ministry took up a project known as the "eastern bypass project" in 1998 to protect the eastern side of the capital from flooding, but it stalled because of fund shortage.

"The project grabbed the limelight again, as the eastern part is reeling under water. But Mirpur and other areas are dry thanks to a dam on the western side," said Project Officer Shahidul Islam of the Water Development Board (WDB).

The floods affected about five million people in the city of about 13 million. The areas such as Sayedabad, Motijheel, Gulshan, Banani, Baridhara, Paltan, Gopibagh, Madartek, Mugda, Goran, Rampura, Malibagh and Badda could have been saved from the floods if the eastern dam had been built.

This year, the sewerage system was overwhelmed and the capital was swamped by stagnated sewage that could have been pumped out if there had been a dam on the eastern side, the experts said.

On the other hand, the western part remained dry as WDB workers pumped out water into the Buriganga and Turag rivers thanks to the flood control embankment there.

The eastern bypass project was included in the Annual Development Programme with 2004 as the deadline for implementation.

"The World Bank (WB) imposed a condition that the project should envisage how the government will profit from the bypass and stopped funding the project," said Habibullah Mojumdar, joint secretary (development) of the water resources ministry.

A meeting on July 18 at the Prime Minister's Office, chaired by Prime Minister's Principal Secretary Kamal Uddin Siddiqui, decided that Dhaka Urban Transport Coordination Board (DTCB) would coordinate the project.

"Although the project was under the water resources ministry, the DTCB will now coordinate it. Wasa, Roads and Highways, Dhaka City Corporation and LGRD and land ministries are also involved in the project," Habibullah said.

The Water Development Board will be responsible for dam construction and roadwork and other organisations will build railways.

The DTCB is working on the project concept paper submitted by the water resources ministry and will have a presentation on how the government will profit from the project that will cost Tk 2,476 crore.

The project will protect the city from floodwaters of the Balu river that runs from Tongi Bridge to Demra Road and cut traffic jam. The total area of the project is 124 square kilometres.

The vehicles from northern and southern regions will use the bypass through Tongi-Joydevpur and Demra.

A road has already been constructed from Joydevpur to Chittagong Road as part of the project. Project officials said four pump houses to pump out stagnant water, a sluice gate, a drainage and an embankment are likely to be complete at a cost of Tk 1,500 crore.

"Constructing a dam is more important and other work could be done in phases," a project official said.

A visiting team of the Asian Development Bank's board of directors at a meeting with Communications Minister Nazmul Huda on July 29 expressed interest in constructing the bypass for protection of Dhaka city from flooding in future. The minister called for unconditional help.