Dredge small rivers

Bangladesh has a total of 907 rivers. The total waterways in the country measure more than 20,000 kilometres. These rivers carry thousands of tonnes of silt annually. Siltation reduces a large portion of navigable route every year. So the government of Bangladesh decided to dredge 24 rivers to increase navigability years ago. On completion of the project, heavy water vessels would be able to ply throughout the year. It would facilitate movement of passengers and cargo at a minimum cost. However, the project of dredging major rivers by the Bangladesh Inland Water Transport Authority (BIWTA) is yet to be completed.

Dredging river is an exercise to ensure navigability for water transports. It is important not only for waterway passengers and cargo ships but also for farmers to irrigate their crop fields. To have full benefit from dredging, small rivers which are connected to the 24 major rivers should also be dredged. It will facilitate irrigation of agricultural lands, boat movement and fish cultivation all round the year. We urge the BIWTA authorities to take up another project to dredge small rivers, too.

Md. Ashraf Hossain,

120, Central Bashabo, Dhaka-1214,

mah120cb@yahoo.com