The Ministry of Shipping (MoS) has stepped up efforts to make the Mongla-Ghashiakhali Channel functional for plying ships within the next six months for safeguarding the Sundarbans, officials said.
Under the initiative, the ministry at an emergency meeting on Monday instructed the agencies concerned to take all necessary measures in this regard.
The move came following instructions from the government top level in the wake of growing pressure and criticism from wildlife and environment activists after the recent oil spill incident in the Sundarbans, they also said.
The 22-km Mongla-Ghashiakhali Channel remained inoperative since 2010 because of excessive siltation in the Kumarkhali River. Due to closure of the channel, shipping activities between India and Bangladesh are taking place through a 90-km channel inside the Sundarbans, threatening its biodiversity, they added.
Seeking anonymity, an MoS senior official told the FE that the minister concerned has expressed his deep concern over the poor progress in dredging the Mongla-Ghashiakhali Channel outside the world's largest mangrove forest.
The minister has ordered to complete at least one way of the channel by the deadline, which will expire on June 2015, as it will take more time for completing the project, he said.
The Cabinet Committee on Government Purchase on Sunday approved a portion of the dredging project. According to the approval, China Harbour Engineering Co. Ltd will remove 2.8 million cubic metres of silt at a cost of Tk 880 million, he said.
More than five years ago the Bangladesh Inland Transport Authority (BIWTA) undertook the river channel dredging project involving around Tk 2.50 billion, a priority project of Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina, for removing 10.0 million cubic metres of silt. The step was taken after a gap of 40 years.
The project will be implemented in three phases. BIWTA will remove 3.0 million cubic metres of silt, while the rest will be done by two private companies through international tenders.
When contacted, BIWTA Chairman Shamsuddoha Khandaker said 5.0 million cubic metres of silt, out of 10.0 million, will be removed from the channel in accordance with the latest decision to make at least one way of the channel operational for movement of ships.
"We've already extracted nearly 0.7 million cubic metres of silt over the last five months with our five dredgers. Four more dredgers are also included to accelerate the activities."
He said they will send another proposal to the purchase committee on December 24, seeking its approval for removing 3.2 million cubic metres of silt at a cost of Tk 930 million.
"We're hopeful of finishing the partial task of making the channel at least functional, as the Chinese company concerned will soon participate in the work with more dredgers," he added.
Talking to the FE, Mongla Port Chairman Commodore Habibur Rahman Bhuiyan said activities of the port are severely affected. More than hundred cargo vessels with fertilisers and food-grains remained anchored at the port because of the suspension on plying vessels through the Sundarbans.
"If we want to save both the Sundarbans and the port, we have no alternative but to complete the Mongla-Ghashiakhali Channel dredging work on an emergency basis," he added.
The channel came to the spotlight after the recent oil spill, which has already affected the biodiversity, specially aquatic mammals, of the Sundarbans, a UNESCO-declared natural heritage site.
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MoS boosts efforts to get Ghashiakhali route ready by June
Jubair Hasan | Published: December 23, 2014 00:00:00 | Updated: November 30, 2026 06:01:00
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