Karnaphuli ‘capital dredging to be complete in July’

CHATTOGRAM, May 10: The capital dredging work of Karnaphuli River, which resumed last year after a pause for coronavirus outbreak, will be completed within mid-July, officials said.
The Chittagong Port Authority (CPA) is the implementing agency of the Tk 2.42 billion (Tk 242 crore) project that began in 2020 to remove silt and solid objects from the river to increase navigability of the water body and also help reduce water-logging in the port city.
Talking with The Financial Express, CPA Chairman Rear Admiral M Shahjahan said the Karnaphuli capital dredging work started in November 2020 under the supervision of Bangladesh Navy.
But the work was hampered twice due to coronavirus outbreak in 2020 and 2021, and the subsequent nationwide lockdown, he said.
The work, which is now going on in full swing, has almost been completed and the dredging will finally end in mid-July, he added.
He also said that after completing capital dredging, the CPA will conduct maintenance dredging to clear polythene, timber and other objects from the river to ensure smooth navigation in the river and the river mouth, the lifeline of the Chittagong seaport.
He informed that out of the Tk 2.42 billion project cost, a total of Tk 1.65 billion (Tk 165 crore) has already been spent to remove silt and other solid objects.
Project Director (PD) Commander Arifur Rahman said, "We have dredged 3.4 million cubic metres of earth (including mud and silt)."
Besides the pandemic, polythene, timber, garbage and other objects, which piled up in the river, are also hindering the dredging work. That is why the time to complete the work has been extended, he said.
"Now, we are taking measures to rid the river of polythene, garbage and other risky objects from the water body," he informed.
Commander Arifur Rahman, also Chief Hydrographer of the CPA, said dredging work is now going on from Sadarghat area of the river to Bakoliar Char.

[email protected]