BWDB has selected Brahmaputra-Jamuna channel for river training at first, among 26 rivers, selected for the work under a massive plan.
Based on successful execution of a pilot project on capital dredging last year, BWDB has selected the heavily silted-up Brahmaputra-Jamuna to clear its channel with training work.
A local-foreign joint-venture (JV) consulting firm surveyed the river, and submitted its report to the government. It suggested that the river could be trained under 'single-threaded channelling' method.
After analysing the pilot-project data, the government engaged the JV consulting firm, comprising CES (India)-DEMAS (NL)-DHI (Denmark)-BETS (BD) DECON (BD), for the survey.
Two Bangladeshi institutions - the Centre for Environment and Geographic Information Services (CEGIS) and the Institute of Water Modelling (IWM) - assisted the firm in the survey and assessing the project's viability.
BWDB executive engineer Gazi Md. Altafuzzaman said the river training would take at least 15 years.
According to the survey report, if the Brahmaputra-Jamuna River is dredged on an urgent basis, it would help develop agriculture, fishing and transport, dilute water salinity, and stop erosion.
A panel of experts is now studying the survey report, which would again be submitted to the government very soon.
The consultants in the survey report proposed that the major river should be trained into a 'single-threaded meandering river'. It means the river's different branches have to be streamlined into one, and the average width will be kept within 4 kilometres from its existing 12 kilometres.
The project, costing Tk 2.5 trillion in 15 years' time, will reclaim 158,516 hectares of land, while give a new lease of life to the river. A large number of spurs, groins and cross-dams would be constructed under the project.
A CEGIS survey mentioned that due to changes in sea-water level, river-bed height, and course of water flow the Jamuna would also be changed gradually.
If the river is trained for 'single channelling', its average width would come to 4 kilometres and 'meandering wave length' would be 40 kilometres.
BWDB sub-divisional engineer Mohammad Faysal Chowdhury said, "We have to spend a substantial amount of money for capital and maintenance dredging and other embankment works."
He said the government has already focused its attention on channelling and training the 26 selected rivers. It is a matter of long time, but it could be done in phases.
He said along with the project on Brahmaputra-Jamuna River, the country's one of four mighty rivers, many other projects would also be taken.
Investment for 15 years would yield rich dividends in the forms of land reclamation, industrialisation, agriculture, fishing and socio-economic development, he added.
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