Though the number of passengers heading to greater Barishal has reduced around 30 lakh people from Dhaka and surrounding districts will leave for coastal districts by waterways during the upcoming Eid. Among them, three lakh travellers will go through Narayanganj river port and the remaining 27 lakh by Dhaka river port’s Sadarghat launch terminal. Sadarghat will face unusual pressure of homebound people, according to a pre-Eid observation report of the National Committee to Protect Shipping, Roads and Railways. Mohammad Shahid Mia, president of organisation and its general secretary Ashis Kumar Dey on Sunday published the summary of the report through a press release. 90 lakh Eid holidaymakers to leave Dhaka by road: SCRF The National Committee has recommended raising the number of vessels in alternative way by the government to handle the pressure of additional passengers and ensure hassle-free and safe Eid journey. The report said about 1.5 crore people will leave Dhaka, Gazipur and Narayanganj during Eid-ul-Azha. Among them, 30 lakh (20 percent of the total passengers) will go by launch during this Eid. Most of these passengers are from the coastal districts of Barisal, Pirojpur, Jhalkathi, Barguna, Bhola, Patuakhali, Chandpur, Shariatpur and Madaripur, it said. Eid-ul-Azha 2023: 1,76,690 sacrificial animals ready in Chapainawabganj According to the report, the rush of home-bound people will start from June 22, the last working day of the previous week of Eid-ul-Azha. All waterway passengers from greater Dhaka region will go home in 7 days from 22 to 26 June (the day before Eid). However, about 15 percent (4.50 lakh) people, including students and housewives, will leave Dhaka before the start of the Eid journey. At least 25.50 lakh passengers will go to their destination by waterways from June 22 to June 28. Out of this, 22.85 will be start journey from Sadarghat terminal, the report said. Referring to the crisis of navigability, the report said that there are 41 waterways officially from Dhaka to various destinations. However, at least 15 waterways have apparently already been abandoned due to navigability crisis and lack of passengers. Citing the shortage of vessels, the national committee said that maximum 70 launches regularly operate on the remaining 26 waterways. This number will increase to around 180 before Eid. Out of this, 90 vessels will depart from Sadarghat for various destinations and 90 will arrive from different places. Ferrying of non-perishable goods to remain suspended for 7 days during Eid: Khalid The civic organisation also said, if 3.27 lakh passengers are carried in 90 launches every day, one launch will carry almost 3,642 passengers on an average. But none of the launches has capacity to carry more than 2,000 people. Even many launches have capacity of carrying less than 1,000. In addition, in three days before Eid, the crowd will increase one and a half times more. Many launches carry double to triple passengers beyond the capacity to handle the pressure. As a result, additional passengers will be carried on roof and deck, the report said. The organization stressed the need for taking appropriate measures by the authorities concerned to reduce the risks of waterway accidents and public sufferings. It urged the authorities concerned including the law enforcement agencies to ensure maximum surveillance and tight security on the waterways and the terminals.

Although there are 41 recognised river routes between Dhaka and the south coast, at present there are commercial launches operating from Sadarghat terminal of Dhaka river port on just 25 routes.    Bangladesh Inland Water Transport Authority (BIWTA) sources said that launches are not plying the remaining river channels due to the shortage of passengers. However, launch owners say that 15 waterways have apparently been abandoned due to poor navigability. They said, this crisis has been created due to lack of sufficient dredging.    They claim that even on the 25 waterways that are operational, launches ply on just 19 of those. Launch movement on the remaining 6 routes is irregular.  Also Read: CSOs demand investigations into irregularities in dredger pilotage, repair Rights activists complain that there is no transparency and accountability in excavation and dredging works. Due to this, there are irregularities and corruption in this important work.  Launch owners also have the same complaint that waterways are not being dredged properly due to lack of transparency and accountability. Badiuzzaman Badal, Senior Vice President of Bangladesh Inland Water Transport (Passenger carrier) Association, an organisation of launch owners, said, “We are a major stakeholder in the shipping sector. But we are not involved in river dredging. Our opinion is not taken on which route has more or less navigability crisis." Referring to the lack of minimum transparency and accountability in dredging, Badiuzzaman Badal said, “BIWTA is doing the job as per their wish leading to widespread irregularities and corruption. As a result, general people, including water transport owners, are not getting the benefits. As the launch cannot proceed in many waterways due to the navigability crisis, in order to reach many destinations, one has to travel much more than the prescribed distance, wasting extra time. On the one hand, the fuel cost of the owners increases, on the other hand, the passengers do not want to board the launch because of the extra time wasted.”  Also Read: NCPSRR wants transparency in river dredging, silt removal Badiuzzaman Badal said these in a press conference at the organisation's office at Sadarghat Terminal on April 8.  Aminur Rasul Babul, member secretary of Safe Waterway Implementation Movement, said that Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina herself is sincere in the development of inland shipping communication. The government is also giving adequate allocation in this sector. But due to the irregularities and corruption of BIWTA's dredging department, the desired success in rescuing the defunct waterways has not come even after 14 years.  Mihir Biswas, joint secretary of Bangladesh Poribesh Andolon (BAPA), said that BIWTA's responsibility is to maintain the navigability of waterways through regular dredging under its revenue fund.   “The river dredging, including rescue of lost waterways and the expensive works of silt removal, are under its development fund. The organisation has been doing these two tasks for more than a century. For this, thousands of crores of public funds have been spent, but the expected success is not visible,” Mihir Biswas commented, also blaming irregularities, corruption and lack of accountability and transparency as responsible for this.  Read More: River Police taking measures to ensure safety on waterways during Eid

Jatiya Party Chairman GM Quader on Saturday urged the government to take effective steps to make waterways safe. “The sad news of innumerable deaths in accidents on waterways every year cannot be accepted,” he said in a condolence message issued over the loss of lives in a trawler capsize in Brahmanbaria’s Laiska Beel. The Jatiya Party chief said the number of waterway accidents is not falling. “The waterways must be made safe.” Read: Govt losing trust with ministers’ ‘funny’ remarks: GM Quader He called upon the government to unearth the reasons behind the trawler capsize and ensure exemplary punishment of those responsible for it through an investigation. GM Quader, also the deputy opposition leader in parliament, demanded justified compensations for the families of the victims and proper treatment of those injured in the accident. He expressed deep sorrow over the loss of huge lives in the incident. The Jatiya Party chief also prayed for the salvation of the departed souls and conveyed his sympathy to the bereaved family members. Read: Mass vaccination only solution to Covid crisis: GM Quader At least 22 people died as a trawler sank after being hit by another sand-laden one in the Laiska Beel on Friday evening. Police arrested three people, including the driver of the trawler that hit the ill-fated one, from Char Islampur in Bijoynagar upazila of the district.

Home Minister Asaduzzaman Khan on Wednesday said accidents on waterways are declining in the country because of changes in vessel designs, implementation of necessary measures and stronger monitoring. “We used to see major accidents during holidays every year. Now such accidents have decreased. But I would not say these have totally gone,” he said while addressing the inauguration of the River Security Week 2021. He virtually joined the inaugural function, held at the conference room of the Shipping Ministry, as the chief guest. State Minister for Shipping Khalid Mahmud Chowdhury was present as the special guest. Read: No alternative to jute for protecting the environment: Home Minister  Asaduzzaman said the main reasons behind the fall in waterway accidents are the changes in vessel designs and stronger monitoring in addition to other necessary measures. He mentioned that the importance of the shipping sector in the graduation of a riverine and coastal country like Bangladesh from a least developed country to a developing one is immense, and put emphasis on consolidation of this achievement. The minister said one of the major responsibilities of the Shipping Department is to develop an accident-free shipping system. “The department has taken a number of effective measures for the safety of public life and property.” An online digital database containing vessel survey data, registration reports and all the information related to vessels and sailors in the inland sector of Bangladesh is being maintained, he said.

Speakers at a discussion meeting in the capital on Saturday said most government measures taken to protect rivers and strengthen the river transport sector are positive but slow in implementation.

Bangladesh witnessed a sharp rise in the number of road crashes and casualties in August last as 379 people lost their lives on the country’s perilous roads in 302 accidents.