Karnaphuli hydraulic study nearing completion

CHATTOGRAM, May 08: The hydraulic survey of river Karnaphuli, twice hampered for coronavirus outbreak in last year and 2020, will be completed in July next.
Once completed, the survey, titled 'Karnaphuli Hydrologic and Hydraulic Study, will open up a new development era at Chittagong Port, including increasing draft of the port channel and the river mouth, and also augmenting the river water and protecting its aquatic resources, sources said.
An official at the Chittagong Port Authority (CPA) said, HR Walling Ford Company of the United Kingdom, picked three years ago to conduct the study, will submit the study report in mid-July. The report is almost complete now, he said.
Chairman of CPA Rear Admiral M Shahjahan said, "HR Walling Ford Company has been deployed to conduct the river's (hydraulic) survey. The survey was hampered due to the Covid-19 pandemic (in 2020 and 2021). But, from January in the current year, the team of HR Waling Ford Company resumed its work and the survey is going on in full swing now. The British company will submit the report in July."
He said, "After getting the study report, I hope that we can disclose a good news. The draft of Karnaphuli River can be increased and berthing facilities at Chittagong seaport expanded."
Sources said that HR Walling Ford had submitted an application with the authorities concerned seeking to extend deadline to complete the survey, which was stopped amid the first wave of the Covid-19 and the subsequent nationwide lockdown in 2020, and countrywide spread of the virus during its second wave in 2021. Following withdrawal of the virus-induced restrictions, the UK team returned to Bangladesh and resumed the study again on January 3 this year.
Chief Hydrographer of CPA M Arifur Rahman said that December 2021 was the timeline set by the authorities to complete the 'Karnaphuli Hydrologic and Hydraulic Study' when the agreement was signed with HR Walling Ford in late 2019.
As the British experts could not come here due to the pandemic in 2021 and 2021, they could not complete the survey within the stipulated time, he added.
The CPA inked the agreement with HR Walling Ford for conducting the hydraulic survey on November 18, 2019. To ensure optimum use of Karnaphuli River, the lifeline of Chittagong Port, mainly for economic purposes, the CPA took up the Tk 140 million project to complete the second survey of the water body after six decades.
In 1961, the port authority completed a similar survey which was called the first hydraulic survey of Karnaphuli. Following the study report, the port authority has been crafting the port's development plans and implementing those in the light of the findings of the first-ever survey.

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