Dredging of 20 rivers in Barishal region kicks off

The dredging work on 20 rivers in the Bangladesh southern region is starting today, local media reports.

Bangladesh Inland Water Transport Authority (BIWTA) will run the operation at 47 points on a dozen of waterway routes in Barishal region.

“Our target is to remove around three million cubic metre silt. A total of 17 dredgers will be used in that process, which will continue till February next year,” Md Abdul Motin Sarkar, an additional director of BIWTA, said.

According to Barishal River Port officer, Abdur Razzak, “different waterways are facing navigability crisis due to continuous siltation. This dredging operation has been initiated to maintain navigability so that vessels can operate smoothly.”

Some Tk 12-15 crore ($1.4 million) are set to be spent for this project.