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Download PDF Dredging of the silted up Paturia-Daulatdia and Paturia-Nagarbari (Kazirhat) channels in the Padma — vital links to the capital with south and southwestern parts of the country — has been started but it is still uncertain when the two channels will be fully navigable for ferries.
The main channel turned unsafe to navigate soon after it was dredged last year due to heavy deposition of silt in the channel.
About Tk 120 crore were spent for dredging the channels in the last 14 years, but corruption in survey and unplanned dredging did not help in smooth operation of vessels in these channels, sources said.
Meanwhile, the BIWTA (Bangladesh Inland Water Transport Authority) sources said the main channel was declared off-limits to vessels on August 6 this year for difficulty in navigation and an alternative channel was opened the same day to facilitate ferry operation.
Earlier last week, six ferries stuck in the channel near Paturia ferry terminal were towed by the BIWTC (Bangladesh Inland Water Transport Corporation) tugboat, BIWTC sources said.
However, a BIWTA official said Thursday that the main channel is being dredged at a rapid pace and resumption of normal ferry operation in the Paturia channel is possible within the next three days.
About 35,000 cubic meters of silt has been removed since the operation began on August 7, he added.
The authority also started dredging in the new channel to keep it navigable since the water level is falling fast.
The water level has fallen 32 cm in the last four days at Goalunda and Paturia points, the official said.
The depth of channels went down to a little over six feet at places as opposed to eight feet minimum depth needed for a ferry to move safely, added the official.
Three dredgers are in operation in the channel now and one more is on the way from Narayanganj.
As a precautionary measure, ferries in the channels with lower water levels are carrying only half their normal capacity. As a result, long queues of vehicles are building up on both sides of the terminals.
Locals alleged that a large char has emerged in front of the Paturia terminal due to unplanned dredging earlier.
Ferries ply this route with the risk of damaging the propellers of the vessels, ferry operators said.
Meanwhile, the Star correspondent during a visit to the area on Wednesday noticed silt removed from the channel was being dumped nearby risking it to be washed back into the channel.
Vessel operators also fear that this silt would eventually roll back into the channel.
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