The government has already bought 38 dredgers and started a process to buy more than 42 under the Bangladesh Inland Water Transport Authority (BIWTA) to save the rivers by reducing and protecting the sediment deposition, State Minister for Shipping Khalid Mahmud Chowdhury said Thursday.
Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina has taken steps to buy new dredgers and dredge the rivers to provide much wider navigation channels, he added.
Khalid was addressing the seminar "Challenges of ensuring navigability of Bangladesh's rivers and sediment management" at the Jatiya Press Club.
Bangladesh Nodi Bachao Andolon's (Save the River Movement Bangladesh) Dhaka City unit organised the event to mark its 16th founding anniversary.
Center for Environmental and Geographic Information Services's Senior Adviser Dr Maminul Haque Sarker delivered the keynote presentation at the event.
Maminul said river management is necessary to enhance irrigation, navigation and several other water utilities and to minimise the effects of flood, waterlogging and riverbank erosion.
BIWTA Chairman Commodore Golam Sadek, Bangladesh Water Development Board Additional Director General Akhil Kumar Bishwas, and Jatiya Press Club General Secretary Ilias Khan also spoke at the event.