Port city to expand to Anwara through immersed tunnel
Tuesday, 14 December 2010
Chittagong port city will be extended to the south bank of the Karnafuli River with implementation of the proposed immersed tunnel in the river linking the thriving industrial area of Anwara.
Anwara, which is locally called the daughter of the sea, covers a huge area on the juncture of the Karnafuli on the north, the Sankha River on the east and the Bay of Bengal on the west.
The upazila (sub-district) with an area of 174 kilo metres has 18 villages in 10 union councils. It has been decorated with generous gifts of nature, a beautiful phenomenon of seashore, lakes, dales and forest.
With the Karnafuli and the Sankha rivers flowing with murmuring sound through the green forest it is an abode of fascinating calm. For the tourists seeking to enjoy the nature and peaceful environment together it is an ideal spot with attractive places of historical interest.
A pleasant and picturesque drive form the Chittagong city brings you to a huge expanse of emerald and blue water ringed with majestic tropical forest.
A new town has also been built there centering the Korean EPZ. It is learnt that permission will be given also for construction of a container terminal at Anwara. Both Japan and Korea have shown keen interest in this regard.
There are proposals for developing an industrial city at Anwara on the south bank of the Karnafuli River, construction of an immersed tunnel proposed by Chittagong Development Authority (CDA) is now on the table of the Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina.
CDA executive engineer Shahinul Islam Khan told this correspondent last Tuesday that the proposal was sent to the Prime Minister's Office last month (November). CDA chairman Abdus Salam earlier took the proposal to the PM when she came to Chittagong on September 08, 2010 to open to traffic the Third Karnafuli Bridge, it is learnt.
And all these phenomena brought the project of immersed tunnel under the Karnafuli River for extending the Chittagong Port and the city through the Anwara Upazila.
The Tunnel: An easy, unhindered transport system across the two banks of the river Karnafuli is essential for a balanced growth of the port city. The present expansion of the city onto the southern bank of the Karnafuli and increasing industrialization there necessitates early creation of this very essential infrastructure, a local study suggests.
The present method of crossing the river by boat and by bridge has certain limitations. Marine vessels used are slow and unusable during bad weather. Owing to the peculiar location of the river Karnafuli and the port the bridges have been located at much upstream. Besides, accidents involving marine vessels in the past and possibilities of such accidents in the future render a bridge not so safe.
Bridge located upstream is inadequate for speedy and efficient transportation from southern bank of the Karnafuli to the airport and also between two sides at downstream with intensive industrial activities. One possible transport system offers appropriate solution to all these problems: construction of a tunnel under the river at carefully selected strategic location after thorough study and planning, the study made by Solex Research said.
It further said that among the several tunnel systems, the immersed tunnel system is considered the most suitable for Karnafuli river crossing. This system was used for laying tunnels at the Tama River mouth in Japan in the late eighties. The system is well accepted because of its being less expensive yet comparatively more advantageous than bridge.
Chittagong area is geologically suitable for this system of tunnel. The immersed tunnel is easier and less expensive to construct. The system can be widely utilized throughout Bangladesh for river crossing.
Maintenance is less than that of an ordinary bridge. A few walkie-talkie sets, some guards-men and a truck mounted crane are enough for security, just to pull away any vehicle in case one becomes stalled inside the tunnel, the study said.
In its proposal submitted to the government the CDA said, to cope with high urbanization and economic activities it is very much urgent to take initiatives to upgrade the transportation system of Chittagong to co-opt future potential areas for development.
It said the proposed Asian Highway (AH41) will pass through Bangladesh along Dhaka-Cox's Bazar to Myanmar. This link has a highly important role to play in the country's economy. The forward effects of deep sea port are very much related with the total traffic system of this region. This will produce huge traffic.
It said the advantages of a tunnel compared to bridge are that a tunnel would still allow shipping to pass, as a low bridge would not, and tunnels do not need such huge access ramps to gain the highly needed pass over the expanse of water.
As regards disadvantage it said that tunnels require higher costs of security and construction than bridges. This may mean that over short distances bridges may be preferred rather than tunnels.
The CDA proposal on the tunnel concluded, "Considering all the three prospective locations and transport planning issues it is assumed that Option-1 (near Patenga) may be the best option. But before any final decision, detailed feasibility study has to be carried out regarding fixing of position of tunnel."
"It is strongly recommended that detailed feasibility study must be followed by comprehensive investigation of ground condition, navigation factors of the Karnafuli River, ecological factors, cost-benefit analysis, impacts on the existing seaport and other relevant factors," the proposal said.
Anwara, which is locally called the daughter of the sea, covers a huge area on the juncture of the Karnafuli on the north, the Sankha River on the east and the Bay of Bengal on the west.
The upazila (sub-district) with an area of 174 kilo metres has 18 villages in 10 union councils. It has been decorated with generous gifts of nature, a beautiful phenomenon of seashore, lakes, dales and forest.
With the Karnafuli and the Sankha rivers flowing with murmuring sound through the green forest it is an abode of fascinating calm. For the tourists seeking to enjoy the nature and peaceful environment together it is an ideal spot with attractive places of historical interest.
A pleasant and picturesque drive form the Chittagong city brings you to a huge expanse of emerald and blue water ringed with majestic tropical forest.
A new town has also been built there centering the Korean EPZ. It is learnt that permission will be given also for construction of a container terminal at Anwara. Both Japan and Korea have shown keen interest in this regard.
There are proposals for developing an industrial city at Anwara on the south bank of the Karnafuli River, construction of an immersed tunnel proposed by Chittagong Development Authority (CDA) is now on the table of the Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina.
CDA executive engineer Shahinul Islam Khan told this correspondent last Tuesday that the proposal was sent to the Prime Minister's Office last month (November). CDA chairman Abdus Salam earlier took the proposal to the PM when she came to Chittagong on September 08, 2010 to open to traffic the Third Karnafuli Bridge, it is learnt.
And all these phenomena brought the project of immersed tunnel under the Karnafuli River for extending the Chittagong Port and the city through the Anwara Upazila.
The Tunnel: An easy, unhindered transport system across the two banks of the river Karnafuli is essential for a balanced growth of the port city. The present expansion of the city onto the southern bank of the Karnafuli and increasing industrialization there necessitates early creation of this very essential infrastructure, a local study suggests.
The present method of crossing the river by boat and by bridge has certain limitations. Marine vessels used are slow and unusable during bad weather. Owing to the peculiar location of the river Karnafuli and the port the bridges have been located at much upstream. Besides, accidents involving marine vessels in the past and possibilities of such accidents in the future render a bridge not so safe.
Bridge located upstream is inadequate for speedy and efficient transportation from southern bank of the Karnafuli to the airport and also between two sides at downstream with intensive industrial activities. One possible transport system offers appropriate solution to all these problems: construction of a tunnel under the river at carefully selected strategic location after thorough study and planning, the study made by Solex Research said.
It further said that among the several tunnel systems, the immersed tunnel system is considered the most suitable for Karnafuli river crossing. This system was used for laying tunnels at the Tama River mouth in Japan in the late eighties. The system is well accepted because of its being less expensive yet comparatively more advantageous than bridge.
Chittagong area is geologically suitable for this system of tunnel. The immersed tunnel is easier and less expensive to construct. The system can be widely utilized throughout Bangladesh for river crossing.
Maintenance is less than that of an ordinary bridge. A few walkie-talkie sets, some guards-men and a truck mounted crane are enough for security, just to pull away any vehicle in case one becomes stalled inside the tunnel, the study said.
In its proposal submitted to the government the CDA said, to cope with high urbanization and economic activities it is very much urgent to take initiatives to upgrade the transportation system of Chittagong to co-opt future potential areas for development.
It said the proposed Asian Highway (AH41) will pass through Bangladesh along Dhaka-Cox's Bazar to Myanmar. This link has a highly important role to play in the country's economy. The forward effects of deep sea port are very much related with the total traffic system of this region. This will produce huge traffic.
It said the advantages of a tunnel compared to bridge are that a tunnel would still allow shipping to pass, as a low bridge would not, and tunnels do not need such huge access ramps to gain the highly needed pass over the expanse of water.
As regards disadvantage it said that tunnels require higher costs of security and construction than bridges. This may mean that over short distances bridges may be preferred rather than tunnels.
The CDA proposal on the tunnel concluded, "Considering all the three prospective locations and transport planning issues it is assumed that Option-1 (near Patenga) may be the best option. But before any final decision, detailed feasibility study has to be carried out regarding fixing of position of tunnel."
"It is strongly recommended that detailed feasibility study must be followed by comprehensive investigation of ground condition, navigation factors of the Karnafuli River, ecological factors, cost-benefit analysis, impacts on the existing seaport and other relevant factors," the proposal said.