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Restoring the 112-kilometre circular waterway around Dhaka could reduce freight transport costs by up to 60 per cent, according to speakers at a seminar in the capital on Wednesday.
The observation was made at a seminar titled “Canal Excavation in Bangladesh: Revitalizing Circular Waterways and Inland Trade”, where the Dhaka Chamber of Commerce & Industry (DCCI) called for an integrated national strategy to restore the country’s navigability by reviving its shrinking canal and river network.
DCCI President Taskeen Ahmed said more than 55 per cent of Bangladesh’s 1,415 rivers and canals have lost navigability because of siltation, illegal encroachment and decades of neglect. As a result, 77 per cent of the country’s freight is now transported by road, increasing logistics costs, traffic congestion and environmental pollution.
He said restoring navigability through inland waterways would provide a more efficient transport system, as water transport consumes four to six times less fuel than road transport. He urged the government to prioritise the restoration of the Dhaka circular waterway, which links the capital’s four major rivers with surrounding districts and rural trade routes while also improving flood management.
Speaking as the chief guest, Water Resources Minister Md. Shahiduddin Chowdhury Anee said the government has undertaken a programme to excavate 20,000 kilometres of canals nationwide to improve water flow and restore navigability.
He said local committees have been formed to ensure long-term maintenance of waterways, while a nationwide campaign to plant 25 million trees along riverbanks has also been launched. The minister also pledged stricter action against industrial waste dumping and said the government would support small and medium-sized industries in installing affordable Effluent Treatment Plants (ETPs).
Experts at the seminar called for unified river management, capital dredging of key waterways, protection of river boundaries using GIS technology and greater public-private investment to modernise Bangladesh’s inland water transport system.