Dhaka waterways to retire after metro rail launched: Officials

The commuters of Dhaka are likely to lose their interest in the circular waterways that have already turned inessential to them as the metro rail and flyovers start functioning from next year, observed a technical committee comprising several ministries, recently.

The meeting--- held at the Prime Minister’s Office--- discussed curbing pollution in the Karnaphuli River and developing its navigability and expressed concerns over the state of the capital city’s rivers and canals.

The officials gave their opinion in favour of transporting goods and commodities to make the circular waterways viable when metro rail and flyovers are launched.

The Economic Resource Division of the Finance Ministry is likely to ask the global lender World Bank to conduct a study on navigability of the rivers and canals of Dhaka and Karnaphuli River in Chattogram and combating pollution there.

The study should also incorporate riverine transports of passengers and cargo in Dhaka and Chattogram, an official of the Prime Minister’s Office, said.

ERD has already initiated a discussion with the global lender about financing the study under the WB’s technical assistance support projects.

Besides, the Prime Minister’s Office and Shipping and Water Resources ministries will also run feasibility studies for developing projects for optimum use of water transports in the Karnaphuli River and other major watercourse of Chattogram.

The technical committee’s virtual meeting was held at the Prime Minister’s Office and was presided over by Principal Secretary to the Prime Minister, Ahmad Kaikaus.

In 2022, the residents of Dhaka city will commute between their workplaces and homes by metro rail in a short time without any strain, officials said.

Shipping Secretary Mohammed Mesbahul Uddin Chowdhury said the people would make their decisions on the fate of the waterway transports, then.

Professor Md Shamsul Haque of BUET told Business Insider Bangladesh on Friday that the waterways transport services on the rivers surrounding Dhaka have failed due to lack of professionalism and accountability.

“We are immensely lucky that Dhaka is surrounded by four rivers but we failed to accrue benefits from those rivers,” said Haque, a civil engineer faculty member of Bangladesh University of Engineering and Technology.

“We cannot draw a line to say that Dhaka’s waterway transports would not be used after launching of metro rail and flyovers,” he said.

He said, “It is true that a survey should have been carried out to understand the all-mode transportation in and around the city, before executing such huge projects.”

“Everyone wants to jump on large investment projects for their personal benefits. We could not make best use of our waterways,” Prof Haque said, adding the Hoogly River in Kolkata has been successful in developing two townships in the edges.

State minister for Shipping Khalid Mahmud Chowdhury has said without coordination between the ministries and the government agencies, river transport projects cannot accrue best results.

A water taxi service, first of its kind in the city, was introduced on Old Dhaka to Gabtoli river route in 2004. The government launched water bus services on Narayanganj-Kanchpur-Tongi route, but it discontinued operations due to lack of sufficient number of riders.

The services were meant for shortening travel time between western locations of the city such as, Sadarghat, Keraniganj, Kholamura, Bosila, Gabtoli and Ashulia. Similarly, travel time from Narayanganj to Kanchpur, Demra, Rajakhali, Beraid Bazar, Icchapura and Tongi---the eastern part of the city---could have been much easier. However, the water transports could not be popularised for various reasons, experts said.

Had the water traffic been made effective, it could have reduced the traffic on roads substantially, they said.

Senior Finance Secretary Abdur Rouf Talukder told the meeting that a feasibility study should be included on how to recover Dhaka’s canals.

Water Resources Senior Secretary Kabir Bin Anwar said the local companies could be incorporated while taking any development projects with WB finance.

According to the meeting minutes, the Water Resources Ministry is interested in developing a project “WB Project on Restoration of the Rivers Surrounding Dhaka City and its Ecology.”

The Roads and Highways Division wants to carry out a project naming it “Dhaka rivers ecological restoration project and construction of Dhaka inner circular route (part-2).”