The New Nation - Internet Edition

Our Correspondent, Barisal

After completing emergency dredging at Barisal port area in last week, immediate dredging at channels connecting major river routes and ports of the country have become obvious.

Since last four days water transports carrying thousands of Eid passengers stranded in Char Shibli channel for hours due to narrowness and less navigability of the channel at the time of low tides.

This channel is connecting 21 districts of south and western region including Barisal, Khulna , and Mongla river ports with mid and eastern part of the country including administrative capital Dhaka and business capital Chittagong and other major river ports.

Bangladesh Water Transport Authority and Bangladesh Water Transport Corporation sources said BIWTA arranged emergency dredging in last week to remove silts of more four to six feet deep in 120 feet wide areas of Barisal river port basin.

It was done after reporting in media and by the water transport crews in recent days about the rapidly losing navigability of Barisal port and surrounding areas, sources added.

However water transport crews, passengers, BIWTA and BIWTC sources further said more than hundred water transports plying on major river routes connecting east and northern parts with south and western parts of the country became stranded for hours at Char Shibli diversion channel every day during the time of low tide.

This channel was opened only two months ago after closure of Bamnir Khal channel due to siltations.

This problem was a regular phenomenon from September of every year and this year it was intensified and also reported since mid-September.

But delay in starting dredging in the channels, made movement of over loaded water transports during the Eid rush more risky and time losing.

Rafikul Islam, Barisal port officer of BIWTC acknowledged that after hydrographical survey in August 2007, it was better if the dredging of these two channels were completed before September.

A team led by Akramullah, executive engineer of BIWTA, has been sent to visit Char Shibli channel at the staring of this month and Sunil Kanti Bose, chairman BIWTA visited there in last week.

BIWTA ordered to make Bamnir Khal channel reopen after excavation and a dredger also placed there after that visits. But dredging yet to be started as pressure and speed of down stream current still very high, he added.

However dredging of Char Shibli channel yet not arranged and without a sustainable master plan it would not be effective and possible to maintain major river routes safely navigable further in upcoming winter or dry season, he further said.

Khalid Newaz, station manager of Barisal BIWTC, alleged that since last twenty years on the eve of starting dry season same problem suffering the passengers and water transports.

After spending about twenty core taka in last 15 years in the names of such kinds of emergency dredging, it failed to give any long term sustainable result.

BIWTA authority never monitor the situation regularly even after reported by them and do not arrange timely dredging showing causes of budget and dredger crisis, he said.

Without research, model study, making and implementing any master plan of the river experts, these kinds of emergency dredging only gave some temporary relief and proving those attempts as the wastages of cores of taka making river routes be silted again, water transport crews and river route pilots opined.

Shahidul Islam Chowdhury, former chairman of BIWTA, took a step for model study by the River Research Institute in 2003. But that work was not advanced, he added

Abul Bashar, director pilot and conservancy of BIWTA, denying making any comment about adopting long term sustainable river management policy, said it is ecologically sensitive, expensive and depends on long term policy and financial capabilities of the government