It seems to be an endless trail. It is the same story all over again rewritten with blood and tears. Until recently, the Chandpur estuary of Meghna river was considered as the most vulnerable point for launch accidents due to its natural whirlpool. Tropical or other storms were regarded as other causes. A few other new causes have been added to the list.
There are jittery reactions from the authorities after launches sink but everything goes back to normal a week or so later. A survey report of BIWTA (Bangladesh Inland Water Transport Authority) shows, although 10,436 people died in 20,000 accidents since 1972, no recommendation by any enquiry committee has been implemented so far to ensure security of the water vessels.
At least 500 enquiry committees were constituted by the government after disasters took place, but only five of these committees submitted their reports.
The enquiry committee formed following the Pinak-6 accident on August 04, 2014 identified five major causes that led to the accident. Those are: structural and technical defects, passenger and cargo loading in excess of capacity, unapproved alteration in the design of launches, irresponsibility of the driver and ignoring weather forecast.
Three steps in the form of basic requirements should be followed strictly combating launch disasters:
1. There has to be one life jacket for each passenger and wearing jackets should be made mandatory for all passengers.
2. Launches seldom have adequate lifebuoys and life boats. A launch with a capacity of 200 passengers hardly has more than 20-25 life boats. The number of boats should be made proportionate to the number of passengers.
3. Launches usually have long shapes to gather speed. Had these been made equal in length and breadth like sea trucks, speed might have gone down but possibility of sinking would have reduced.
Enacting and enforcing river safety laws should be a priority for the policy makers. Safety in rivers must be a shared responsibility of all the stakeholders. The passengers should not risk their lives by getting on a launch that is literally tilting with excessive passengers and cargo. As the authorities and launch owners ought to play their part in ensuring safety, passengers must also exercise their civic responsibility by not undertaking unsafe river journeys. They must demand and help the enforcement of laws by complying with them. A culture of respect for laws can not be imposed by top-down government interventions.
Launches will sink next year and the year after in this way unless and until the mindset of the authorities, launch owners and people changes. There is a pattern. History tells us that launches sink during the monsoon season due to turbulent waters, often exacerbated by the overloading of passengers. Some launches sink during winter months due to collisions in conditions of poor visibility, as well as tropical storms.
Launch disasters in Bangladesh are often not accidents but results of negligence by both launch owners and the authorities as well as irresponsible behaviour of the passengers.
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