Legal complications: Karnaphuli dredging hangs in balance

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UNB, Chittagong :
Massive siltation in the Karnaphuli River channel is hampering the operation in Chittagong port as the capital
dredging in the river now hangs in the balance due to ‘legal complications’.
During a recent visit to the Karnaphuli River, a UNB correspondent found that many chars (shoals) emerged on the riverbed near the riverbank from Karnaphuli Bridge to Barek Building area as the river is being clogged by silt. The navigability of the river has decreased rapidly in recent days affecting the handling of goods at many jetties of the port.
The sand, which was earlier deposited on the riverbanks after dredging work, is pouring into the river again with rainwater. According to a new survey of the port’s Hydrographic Division, around 3.5 million cubic metres of silt still remained deposited on the riverbed of the Karnaphuli River.
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