Maintenance dredging starts in Barishal

Bangladesh Inland Water Transport Authority (BIWTA) on Tuesday started the maintenance dredging at 20 points in Barisal region to restore the navigability of the river routes in the area at a cost of Tk10 crore. 

"It is our routine dredging. In December, we have to excavate the riverbed in the Barishal region as part of maintaining rivers and ensuring smooth navigability as huge siltation takes place there", said Rokibul Islam Talukder, chief engineer (dredging) of BIWTA.

He added, "To reduce operation duration, 20 dredgers have been deployed at a time. We hope the work will be completed by February," he said, adding: by that time, we want to remove around 10 lakh cubic meters of silt from the riverbed, digging up 2-4 feet deep.  

Eng Rokibul continued, dredging will take place in around 40 points including Barishal river port, Patuakhali and Kalaya (in Boufal upazila). The dredging will cater to around a dozen waterways in the region.

"We aim that most of the dredging will be completed by mid-January. In that case, we would withdraw 50% dredger", hoped Rokibul Islam. 

When asked about the budget, he said "All the 20 dredgers belong to the BIWTA and the salary of the staff is being paid by the government. So, we have to spend on fuel and maintenance, which will not cross Tk10 crore,".

Welcoming the BIWTA move, Shahidul Islam Bhuiyan, secretary general of Launch Owner Association Bangladesh, said, although the launches up to Barisal are not facing many problems yet, Patuakhali and Barguna-bound launches face navigability problems.