Balu to be widened up to 37 metres in place of 100

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Bangladesh Inland Water Transport Authority (BIWTA) prepares to dredge the Balu river, the major channel to drain floodwaters out of the city, without adhering to the recommendations of the government taskforce on rivers flowing through and around the capital.

Comprising government officials, experts and environmentalists, the taskforce had recommended widening up the river for at least 100 metres. The recommendations unveiled on December 26, 2002 were based on the Cadastral Survey (CS), the means to define or re-establish boundaries of public and/or private land.

But the BIWTA are now going to dredge the river only for up to 37 metres in width, almost one third of the recommended width.

Environmentalists fear once the river is dredged without scrupulously following the recommendations it would not be possible to increase the width in future leading to massive environmental problem for the capital with an ever-growing population.

According to the Cadastral Survey (CS) conducted for the period from 1888 through 1940, the Balu River was more than 100 metres wide. At some points it was 200 to 250 metres. Even the recently published government documents describe the river to be 100 metres wide and 45 kilometres long.

But the water transport authorities plan to dredge the channel only for 37 metres (120 feet) wide as locals have already encroached on either bank of the river and managed to have land documents, said BIWTA Secretary Monowar Hossain.

He added, “If the government should dredge the river as wide as 300 feet, it would be a project requiring a massive land acquisition.”

On the other hand, the environmentalists reason that dredging for only 120 feet would not help much in effective and sufficient drainage of floodwaters.

“If the government can acquire land for roads and highways then why can’t it do the same in this case?” questioned Abu Naser Khan, executive director of Paribesh Bachao Andolon. “They must follow strictly the taskforce’s recommendations,” he added.

Water and urban experts said Balu plays a crucial role in the city’s drainage system since it is the lone channel to carry liquid waste out of Bangla Motors, Farmgate, Mohakhali, Gulshan, Tejgaon, Baridhara, Rampura, Malibagh, and Basabo areas through Begunbari, Beraid and Manda canals.

Besides, a significant portion of floodwaters from adjoining Gazipur, Tangail and Mymensingh districts drains through Balu to Shitalakhya, they added.

Professor Muzaffer Ahmad, chairman of Bangladesh Paribesh Andolon and one of the members of the taskforce, said, “The spirit of our recommendations was to return the river’s land to the river. The CS record is the original document of the river,” he said.

“Once the river is dredged it would not be possible to reclaim the land grabbed. So the government should take necessary steps now,” he observed.

“Rivers of Bangladesh”, a checklist of rivers of the country published in 2005 by the Water Development Board, says the Balu river starts from Pubail Gazipur and joins the Shitalakhya river at Demra. Here too, the original width is mentioned as 100 metres.

Over the years, the river has become narrow and shallow warranting an immediate dredging between Tongi and Demra to maintain its navigability and drainage functions.

Sources said the BIWTA has floated a tender for the dredging work but it has yet to get any response. So the schedule for submitting tenders, which was December 1 initially, has been extended.

The dredging has been planned to be completed within 2010 in second phase of the circular waterway, added the sources.

“We hope the work will begin within the current fiscal year. The authorities have plans to engage Water Development Board in this project,” said the BIWTA secretary.

The then government formed the taskforce in 2002. Shipping minister was the head while members included land minister, housing and public works minister, mayor of the Dhaka city corporation, Professor Muzaffer Ahmad, Professor Abdullah Abu Sayeed, Professor Serajul Islam Choudhury, founder editor of New Age late Enayetullah Khan, water expert Professor Ainun Nishat, The Daily Star Editor Mahfuz Anam, and former secretary Engineer Qamrul Islam Siddiqui.

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