The government has massive plans to dredge all 310 rivers of the country to bring back navigability, control floods and ensure proper irrigation, Water Resources Minister Ramesh Chandra Sen told the House yesterday.
While replying to queries of lawmakers who described the sorry state of many rivers, the water resources minister also said four mega projects worth about Tk 5,000 crore to this effect are under the process for approval.
The projects are: the pilot capital dredging of river system in Bangladesh (first phase) worth Tk 1,445.51 crore, Buriganga recovery project worth Tk 1,514.95 crore, purchasing of dredgers and ancillary equipment for dredging rivers with a cost of Tk 1,593.68 crore and coordinated irrigation, extraction and flood control project worth Tk 378.52 crore.
“Of the rivers, dredging work will begin very soon in four major rivers–Jamuna, Meghna, Brahmaputra and the Padma,” the minister said, adding that once the dredging job is completed in these rivers, a number of small rivers will get its benefit.
He said the government has also taken up four short-term projects along with the mega projects to carry out dredging in rivers and control floods.
The government has already formulated a strategy paper with an expenditure of Tk 50 crore to carry out short-term, mid-term and long-term dredging in major rivers, the water resources minister said.
“On approval of the strategy, preparation of projects, their approval and implantation process will start,” he said.
The minister said implementation of a project titled “Gorai river recovery project (second phase)” worth Tk 942.15 crore has already begun.
He said purchasing of five dredgers is under process. Of them, the water resources ministry will purchase two while the shipping ministry will buy three, he said.
He said the two ministries have 45 dredgers but only seven of them are now operational. “We have made a move to repair some dredgers which are repairable,” he added.
During the question-answer session, a number of lawmakers said most of the rivers in their constituencies are about to die and some of them are already dead. A few lawmakers also drew the minister’s attention to river erosion causing immense suffering to people.
They urged the minister to take immediate steps to revive the country’s rivers and control floods.
In response to another query, the water resources minister said the government has planned to discuss with upstream countries, which have common rivers with Bangladesh, to increase flow of waters in the common rivers during the dry season.
“To increase water flow in the Padma during the dry season, the government is negotiating with India and Nepal to construct water bodies at the sub-rivers of the Ganges that originate in Nepal,” he said.
Categories: Bangla, Bangladesh, Bangladesh Economy, Bangladesh News, Daily Bangladesh News, Economy, News
