Home ›› 06 Dec 2021 ›› Nation
Poor navigability in the Brahmaputra River has been hindering the transportation of goods in Kurigram Sadar, Chilmari, Fakirer Hat, Rowmari and Char Rajibpur areas round the year, triggering acute sufferings to the locals and traders.
Passengers and boatmen have expressed their desperate urge for immediate dredging of Brahmaputra as the local authorities are yet to take any initiative to overcome the crisis.
Altab Hossain, a boat man of Fakir Hat said he could not run his boat for last one month due to several shoals that emerged at different points of the river.
The movement of goods and passenger boats was severely disrupted as sand and soil filled up the river reducing its deepness, he added.
Local stone trader Nasir Khan also voiced same and said last month good-laden cargo boats failed to reach Roumari, Chilmari, Fakir Hat, Baladmara and Kurigram pontoons. He stressed on dredging the river on an emergency basis.
Ripon Mia of Baguarchar village said, “We used to go to Fakir Hat ghat from Baladmari ghat within an hour. Currently, these trips take additional two more hours for the dying river.”
Tt takes about three hours to reach at Fakir Hat ghat from Flowerchar and Baladmara, said Boatman Samejuddin, adding that “The whole day passes away if any boat gets stuck in the shoal destroying the business.”
Mahatab Hossain, a lessee of Roumari Ghat, said, “Our income has decreased at an alarming rate due to the navigability crisis of the river which also triggering havoc to the residents of Roumari and Rajibpur upazilas”
The waterway will eventually witness shut down if river dredging is not conducted immediately, he stated.
Abdullah Al Mamun, executive engineer of Kurigram Water Development Board, said Bangladesh Inland Water Transport Authority (BIWTA) should work to resolve the navigability problem of the river that was caused due to numerous shoals.
Earlier in 2019, State Minister for Shipping Khalid Mahmud Chowdhury declared that the much awaited dredging of the Brahmaputra river will begin shortly on emergency basis to maintain smooth navigability in Roumari and Rajibpur upazilas which is linked with Kurigram district, according to the locals.
The dredging of Brahmaputra River will facilitate easy movement of goods and local commuters boosting the economy, Mahmud Chowdhury had said while attending a programme in Roumari upazila of Kurigram as the chief guest.
Since then, three years have passed but no visible progress has been made in this regard, locals alleged. They urged the government to resolve the matter immediately.
