Two government organisations are charging strikingly different amounts for two dredging projects on the same river. The Bangladesh Inland Water Transport Authority (BIWTA) has taken up a 110-km river route dredging project at a cost of Tk 895 crore. The route goes from Chittagong-Mongla-Pakshi via Chandpur-Mawa-Gualanda to the Rooppur Nuclear Power Plant (RNPP) site.
The dredging work is being undertaken to deepen the navigational course so that heavy equipment can be ferried to the site of the planned power plant.
On the other hand, the Bangladesh Water Development Board (WDB) has taken up two projects to dredge 17.2-km on the Padma River at a cost of about Tk 742 crore for dredging and embankment protection work.
According to sources, the WDB, in Rajbari district, has taken up 9.2km of dredging work, including 4.7 km of river bank protection work, at Lalgola and Urakanda of the Padma River at a cost of Tk 341.98 crore.
Besides, the Sultanpur-Shilaidah dredging project, stretching for 8-km on the same river, has been taken up by the WDB in Kushtia district at a cost of Tk 400 crore, the source added.
The BIWTA was executing another project on the same route to carry heavy equipment for the RNPP, the source said.
Sources in the water resources and shipping ministries have questioned the cost differences between the government organisations in case of short and long-distance jobs.
The WDB projects are being overseen by the Tofail Committee, formed by the WDB to monitor all development projects under the water resources ministry, a source in the WDB said.
“The Tofail Committee has taken up the projects under the WDB,” Mosaddek Hossain, WDB additional chief engineer, told The Independent recently.
There are differences in the designs of the BIWTA and the WDB projects, he said, adding, “The BIWTA is only dredging the river for smooth movement of vessels, but the WDB is involved in dredging as well as river bank protection work. So, the cost is higher than that of the BIWTA.”
“As the WDB is scheduled to implement two projects on the 17.2-km stretch of the river route, we think that the BIWTA will leave this portion from their project,” Hossain said in reply to a query.
“We have informed the higher authorities of the matter. If the WDB works on the same route, the BIWTA won’t do any dredging on the WDB’s project portion,” Saidur Rahman, additional chief engineer (dredging), BIWTA, told this correspondent.
When asked if the BIWTA project cost will come down as the agency will not do any work on the 17.2-km portion to be dredged by WDB, he said decision in this regard will be made afterwards by the top authorities.
He also refused to comment on the difference in the project costs of the two government agencies.
The BIWTA has awarded the task to the Bangladesh Navy to dredge the 110-km-long river routes from Chittagong-Mongla-Pakshi via Chandpur-Mawa-Gualanda to the RNPP site at a cost of Tk 895 crore.
Transportation of heavy equipment to the RNPP site would begin in the second half of this year, sources said.
The Bangladesh Navy will ensure security and safety, including installation of navigational aid (buoys, lights and markers) till 2025 on the said river routes.
According to the BIWTA, about 100 lakh cubic metres of silt need to be removed from the 110-km-long river routes in the first year to keep them navigable throughout the year from the Mongla and Chittagong seaports to the Rooppur N-power plant site.
Moreover, 35–45 lakh cubic metres of silt should be dredged every year under maintenance dredging, sources said.
The depth of the water for 50km, out of the 415 km from Chittagong, and for 60 km, out of the 450 km from the Mongla seaport to the Rooppur nuclear power plant site, drops to only 1–1.5 metres during the dry season.
A depth of at least five metres would be needed to transport heavy machinery.
The state-run Atomic Energy Commission signed a deal with the Russian firm Rosatom on December 25, 2015, to set up two nuclear power plants, each having a capacity of 1,200 megawatt, involving a total investment of USD 12.65 billion.