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River dredging is a viable method to recover the navigability of the rivers and keep the waterways running, said experts at a webinar.
They said nowadays, the navigability of the rivers is decreasing at a considerable rate and consequently, even only 5 mm of rain is now enough for most regions to submerge.
Energypac Power Generation Limited (EPGL) recently organised the webinar, “The importance of river dredging and its future plans”, where speakers discussed the necessity of dredging rivers in Bangladesh, setbacks in this regard, and ways to overcome them.
The speakers said Bangladesh is a riverine country where the rivers play a significant role in the socioeconomic development. When it comes to transportation and communication, riverways are preferred by many as the most convenient means.
Speaking as the chief guest at the webinar, Rokibul Islam Talukder, additional chief engineer (dredging) of Bangladesh Inland Water Transport Authority, said, “As per the directives of Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina, various projects focused on developing 10,000-kilometer-long waterways in the country, are currently ongoing.”
“These projects would develop the river transport sector and create employment opportunities in the sector. We believe that this can make significant contribution to our export-import sector as well,” he added.
Speakers also emphasised on technological advancement, automation and digitalisation for fast-tracking the process of river dredging. Besides, they also stressed the necessity of improved trainings for parties involved in the process and timely implementation of the dredging projects.
Humayun Rashid, managing director & chief executive officer of Energypac, said, “We consider the rivers to be our mothers, but unfortunately, we are continuously polluting these rivers with all sorts of junk and plastics. As a responsible organisation, Energypac Power Generation Limited has been conducting river cleaning activities every month, and we believe that such initiative will inspire others also.”
Engineer Md Ruhul Quddus, executive director (dredging) of E-Engineering Limited; Md Sirazul Islam, engineering, ship survey and inland vessel registrar of Department of Shipping; and Mohammad Masum Parvez, chief business officer of Power and Energy Division, Energypac Power Generation Limited, among others, were also present at the event.
