River dredging

BIWTA unveils 10-year plan

Following a directive from Prime Minister (PM) Sheikh Hasina, the Bangladesh Inland Water Transport Authority (BIWTA) has taken up an ambitious plan to dredge 11,700 km of waterways in 10 years. The project is estimated to cost Tk. 2.58 lakh crore, and require 705 dredgers to implement the plan. Of them, the BIWTA would provide 105 dredgers and 600 dredgers would be requisitioned from private parties.
“It is a dream project for the BIWTA. We have prepared a draft plan as per the PM’s directives,” Rakibul Islam Talukder, additional chief engineer of the BIWTA, told The Independent. A total of 50,400 lakh cubic metres of mud would be removed from river beds with capital dredging under the project, he said, adding that 30,300 lakh metres would needed to be removed under maintenance dredging.
Besides, 80,700 cubic metres of silt would be needed to be removed for spoil management like the construction of dykes, land acquisition and crop compensation.
A total of 2,300 km of waterways would be needed for river training work under the mega project. As per the master plan, as many as 2000 people would be needed to implement the project.
Navigational aids such as spherical buoys, beacon lights, RCC poles and bamboo markings would have to be installed along 11,700 km of river ways, according to the master plan.
 BIWTA sources said 10 new office buildings along with office equipment, stationeries, vehicles and speed boats would also be needed for the project.
The sources added that a feasibility study, SIA and EIA are required before implementing the project. There were about 30,000 km of waterways in the country. But now major and minor rivers streams provide a waterway network of no more than 6,000 km during full monsoon, while it shrinks to about 3,814km in the dry season.
With urbanisation and development fast replacing a river-centric, agro-based economy, the gouna nouka (goods-carrying boats), which were once a common sight on riverine stretches of Bangladesh, have now become relics of a pastoral age. Environmentalists have hailed the government plan as a good step. “If the project is implemented, the country’s overall environment will change and its rivers will get life again,” Abu Naser Khan, chairman of Poribesh Bachao Andalan (POBA), said.
Terming rivers as the lifeline of the country, the green activist rued that some unscrupulous people were involved in grabbing land by filing up the rivers. “Stern action should be taken as per the country’s law in order to save the country’s rivers from the clutches of these land grabbers,” he said.

River dredging

BIWTA unveils 10-year plan

Following a directive from Prime Minister (PM) Sheikh Hasina, the Bangladesh Inland Water Transport Authority (BIWTA) has taken up an ambitious plan to dredge 11,700 km of waterways in 10 years. The project is estimated to cost Tk. 2.58 lakh crore, and require 705 dredgers to implement the plan. Of them, the BIWTA would provide 105 dredgers and 600 dredgers would be requisitioned from private parties. It is a dream project for the BIWTA. We have prepared a draft plan as per the PMs directives, Rakibul Islam Talukder, additional chief engineer of the BIWTA, told The Independent. A total of 50,400 lakh cubic metres of mud would be removed from river beds with capital dredging under the project, he said, adding that 30,300 lakh metres would needed to be removed under maintenance dredging. Besides, 80,700 cubic metres of silt would be needed to be removed for spoil management like the construction of dykes, land acquisition and crop compensation. A total of 2,300 km of waterways would be needed for river training work under the mega project. As per the master plan, as many as 2000 people would be needed to implement the project. Navigational aids such as spherical buoys, beacon lights, RCC poles and bamboo markings would have to be installed along 11,700 km of river ways, according to the master plan. BIWTA sources said 10 new office buildings along with office equipment, stationeries, vehicles and speed boats would also be needed for the project. The sources added that a feasibility study, SIA and EIA are required before implementing the project. There were about 30,000 km of waterways in the country. But now major and minor rivers streams provide a waterway network of no more than 6,000 km during full monsoon, while it shrinks to about 3,814km in the dry season. With urbanisation and development fast replacing a river-centric, agro-based economy, the gouna nouka (goods-carrying boats), which were once a common sight on riverine stretches of Bangladesh, have now become relics of a pastoral age. Environmentalists have hailed the government plan as a good step. If the project is implemented, the countrys overall environment will change and its rivers will get life again, Abu Naser Khan, chairman of Poribesh Bachao Andalan (POBA), said. Terming rivers as the lifeline of the country, the green activist rued that some unscrupulous people were involved in grabbing land by filing up the rivers. Stern action should be taken as per the countrys law in order to save the countrys rivers from the clutches of these land grabbers, he said.