Posted on February 10, 2020
The government has decided to construct 11 dredger bases across the country.
The Bangladesh Inland Water Transport Authority (BIWTA) under the Ministry of Shipping will implement the project at a cost of Tk 275 crore.
The 11 dredger bases will be built at Jamalpur, Khulna, Bagerhat, Shimulia of Munshiganj, Cox’s Bazar, Sylhet, Narayanganj, Kishoreganj, Madaripur and Kurigram or Balashi of Gaibandha, MA Matin, chief engineer (Dredging) of BIWTA, told The Independent.
“We’ve now only one dredger base at Narayanganj and it is very difficult to move dredgers to faraway places for dredging. It takes at least four to five days to move a dredger from Narayanganj to Kurigram. Besides, it is very costly to move dredgers along with ancillary equipment and related vessels,” he said.
At least Tk 25 crore will be needed to construct each dredger base, he added.
Offices, dormitories for general staff and officers, yards and other structures will be built at each dredger base, Matin said.
“We’ve already started building the dredger bases. At least five years will be needed to complete the work,” the chief engineer said.
He said it would be easy to move dredgers from these bases and that would reduce the cost of dredger movement.
“The government has taken up various dredging projects to restore the country’s rivers. We’re implementing these projects to keep the rivers navigable throughout the year,” Matin said.
The BIWTA is now implementing dredging projects in Sylhet, Sunamganj, Munshiganj, Shariatpur, Mymensingh, Jamalpur, Kurigram, Natore, Madaripur, Manikganj, Khulna, Bagerhat, Cox’s Bazar and many places under ‘53 important river restoration dredging project’, he said in reply to a query.
The BIWTA has now a total of 35 dredgers, he said, adding that 10 more dredgers will be added to the fleet by June this year.
“Space is a major issue for keeping dredgers and its ancillary vessels. The main objective of constructing the dredger base is to continue dredging work smoothly maintaining the dredgers in proper places across the country,” the BIWTA chief engineer said.
He said they had already 170 ancillary vessels and the total number would be around 400 in the next five years. Besides, 35 more dredgers will be added to the BIWTA dredger-fleet in the next five years, Matin added.
Due to the impact of climate change, rivers now carry over two billion tonnes of sediments from the upstream during the monsoon each year, causing a rise in riverbeds and massive floods, shipping ministry sources said. Against this backdrop, the BIWTA has taken up a nine-year mega dredging project to restore the country’s waterways through river management and reduce floods, BIWTA sources said.
This will include enhancing navigability, minimising drainage congestion, wetland eco-system improvement, irrigation and landing facilities.
According to sources, the BIWTA estimates about Tk 105,000 crore would be needed to restore and improve 10,500-km waterways across the country between 2019 and 2027.
The BIWTA is conducting a study on 178 rivers and it is expected to get over by 2020 or 2021, according the BIWTA sources.
The BIWTA has already completed a study on 69 rivers, including Buriswar, Payra, Soa, Sutia, Kachamatia, Dhorla, Old Brahmaputra, Tulai, Punorbhoba, Dhanu, Namakura, Jhinai, Ghagot, Bangshi, Nagda, Sangu, Matamuhuri, Meghna and rivers of the haor areas, the BIWTA sources said.
Source: m.theindependentbd.com
