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Editorial

Move to rid water transport of mess

Take immediate action to bring order to the sector


Bangladeshpost
Published : 30 Sep 2020 08:21 PM | Updated : 01 Oct 2020 01:00 AM

Water communications in the country is facing severe lack of modernisation and oversight. Since the country is a riverine land, there is a vast number of transports that ply the water routes. Despite this, the rivers are facing a crisis of being dried-up or encroached upon or polluted with no answers to this problem in sight. As a result, conscious people cannot help but wonder when will proper and effective steps be taken?

A report published in this daily underscores how the country’s waterways are being neglected and we, as a nation, have failed to properly utilise this natural resource. The report points to figures showing that 35 percent of the country's people travel by waterways. But unfortunately, since the independence of the country, in the last 49 years, no survey on water transports was conducted in the country. 


The authorities concerned must take the onus and

 bring order over the waterways including proper

 survey to take note of which vessels are

 worthy to ply and which are not


This lack of proper survey and neglect of waterways and vessels plying over the rivers has caused problems to arise in the waterways. The authorities concerned must take responsibility and bring order over the waterways including proper survey to take note of which vessels are worthy to ply and which are not. In this way potential mishaps and sinking of vessels can be avoided. 

Also, pre-emptive legal action can be taken against those who have failed to maintain properly their vessels but is still plying the waterways being a probable cause for harm for both the river and the lives of the crew aboard. Nevertheless, this is something that needs a strict policing to prevent illegal playing in river routes. 

Experts opine that water transport sector seems to be pushed towards destruction in a planned manner. Necessary steps are not being taken to protect the rivers. The boundaries of the river are yet to be marked. Whatever has been done is to appease the landsharks. On the other hand, resolutions that need to happen immediately include the official figures of vessels to be recorded through proper survey of the waterways. 

Based on the report published in this daily, the number of water vessels operating in the country is around 60,000 but the official number recorded is 14,000. Such a  stark impudence in one of the country’s most potential communications system is quite disconcerting and requires stringent steps to bring order in the sector.