Whither Dhaka\\\'s circular waterway?

The news of opening once again the circular waterway around the capital by the water transport authorities carried a note of incredulity. To many, it appeared to be confounding. In the past 14 years, the waterway connecting Sadarghat with Ashulia through stations at  Basila, Rayerbazar, Shinnir Tek and Aminbazar in Mirpur along the way, had been opened to commuters three more times. Every time the project petered out. It had a great vision. According to the original plan, the route was set to extend up to Kanchpur Bridge from Ashulia. It also included the outlying Ichhapur in its course.
On every occasion, the waterway failed to woo passengers as had been expected, and thus lost big sums of money within a short period of time after launch. At one time, the brand new water-buses were seen plying, hardly following any schedule, with only a few passengers. Lethargy set in, which led to the closure of the service finally. This was what happened on all the three occasions.
The circular waterway on the same route was inaugurated for the fourth time with much fanfare and high hopes. Initially a few motor-launches were pressed into service. The authorities behind the otherwise prospective project seemed to have conveniently forgotten the huge monetary losses incurred on the three previous occasions, and still looked forward to success. The whole ritual, in fact, re-invoked before the people the spectre of a potential venture going awry.
As signs are little that the capital will be able to free itself of the debilitating traffic gridlocks anytime soon, the waterway served as a beacon of hope -- faint though. A bus-ride or a travel by other road transports between points lying on the Sadarghat-Ashulia stretch these days takes around three hours. The comparatively freer waterway cuts the time by more than half. Against this picture, there ought to be a study to find the reasons why the commuters have been averse to this comfortable route since the very first opening. The waterway route is safe unless the rivers are in spate or hazardous during the monsoon. The route is virtually free of jams. The transports are comfortable, with an affordable fare. Apart from commuting, business people can carry their merchandise by the launches in service. Given these facts, the focus comes to the state of navigability on the waterway.
On previous occasions, the few passengers who used to travel on the route while it was in operation complained of slow, faltering speed of transports, and their detours, during summer time. They expressed their annoyance at the lengthening of travel-time. As had been apprehended, the Bangladesh Inland Water Transport Authority (BIWTA) was eventually compelled to suspend operation of the waterway thanks to the navigation problem besetting the route. Experts monitoring the waterway found that it was inadequate navigability that had triggered the other problems on the route. Sometime back, a study published in the journal of Bangladesh Institute of Planners dwelt at length on the effectiveness of the service. It suggested some steps which needed to be considered to make it effective before embarking on the project. There are no signs that the authorities concerned have taken the recommendations seriously. It means like on the previous three occasions, this time too, a hefty amount of public money is set to be wasted.
As many curious people watching the project have found out, a major segment of the people living in the areas adjacent to the waterway are unaware of it. The authorities have never felt the necessity of publicising the route. It remained confined to the media, the route operators, and a handful of passengers only. In reality, many Dhaka residents, hit by unbearable traffic jams, would have readily opted for the waterway had they been made aware of it.
The circular waterway is a new idea to today's Dhaka metropolis; although in the distant past people in the area were heavily dependent on it. Despite being surrounded by six rivers and lots of canals, the fast-growing city has never thought of using rivers for commuting. It is out of desperation that the government had felt the urgency of going for the waterway. Given the persistent traffic gridlocks, the waterway now appears to be the only way out for now. People should be well motivated to utilise this route, and in doing so, the government agencies concerned ought to first prove their sincerity with the project.
shihabskr@ymail.com