Dredging the small rivers
The print media has recently reported the government’s plans to dredge 24 major river routes in Bangladesh by June 2018. A total of 101.4 million cubic metre areas will be dredged, which will cost Tk 18.73 billion. On the completion of the project, heavy water vessels will be able to ply throughout the year, facilitating movement of passengers and goods at minimum cost. We thank the government for taking on such a significant responsibility. However, the major rivers will drive water away from small rivers, which in turn will dry up in hot weather. Water transport and fish irrigation in the small river areas will be hampered. To ensure truly beneficial results, the Bangladesh Water Development Board should undertake another supplementary project to dredge the small rivers connected to the 24 major rivers. We should not create new problems to tackle previously existing ones.
Md. Ashraf Hossain
Dhaka