Tk 1.22b squandered on Dhaka's circular waterway, revival now initiated

A landing station stands beside the Turag River, about 14 kilometres from the Gabtoli end of Aminbazar Bridge, along the embankment road towards Ashulia.

Landing station is a place where vessels dock. Consisting of a two-story building, a pontoon and stairs leading to the pontoon—these three make up a landing station.

Government-operated water buses once stopped at this landing station. Passengers could travel to Sadarghat by water, avoiding traffic congestion at a lower cost and with greater comfort.

During an on-site visit last Monday, the gate of the landing station building was found open, but there was no one inside. Water hyacinths had grown around the pontoon, making it clear that no vessel had docked there for a long time. The service was permanently shut down around 2016.

The water bus service from Ashulia to Sadarghat was part of a plan to introduce a circular waterway around Dhaka. The current government has initiated moves to restart this defunct service.

At a meeting on 2 August, Prime Minister Tarique Rahman directed officials to restore the circular waterway around Dhaka. He also called for measures to prevent river pollution, improve the city's drainage system and maintain navigability and water flow in the rivers.

However, questions have been raised about the benefits of reviving a service that previously failed despite hundreds of crores of taka being spent on it.

The rivers Turag, Buriganga, Shitalakkhya and Balu, along with 110 kilometres of waterways, surround Dhaka. It is believed that operating vessels along these waterways could reduce pressure on roads inside the capital.

According to Bangladesh Inland Water Transport Corporation (BIWTC) sources, the first project to establish the circular waterway and introduce vessels was undertaken in 2000. The first phase was completed in 2005.

A study titled “Dhaka's Circular Water Transport System: Analysis of Current Status, Problems and Prospects”, published in the Bangladesh Institute of Planners (BIP) journal in 2013, said Tk 360 million was spent on the first phase. Under the project, 29.5 kilometres of waterway from Ashulia to Sadarghat were dredged, while 10 landing stations, seven terminal buildings and other infrastructure were constructed.

The second phase was implemented between 2007 and 2010 at a cost of Tk 475 million. It involved developing a 40-kilometre waterway from Ashulia through Tongi to Kanchpur Bridge. Three landing stations and other infrastructure were constructed.

A total of Tk 835 million was spent on the two phases. According to BIWTC sources, another Tk 380 million was spent on purchasing and operating water buses.

In total, the government spent around Tk 1,220 million on the circular waterway. In contrast, it earned only Tk 25.2 million

Passenger services were never launched along the entire 110-kilometre route because of low-clearance bridges. According to Bangladesh Inland Water Transport Authority (BIWTA) data, around Dhaka's circular waterway there are about 25 road bridges and three railway bridges over the Buriganga, Turag, Tongi Canal, Balu, Shitalakkhya and Dhaleshwari rivers. Twenty of these bridges have insufficient clearance. Many bridges would have to be demolished to operate vessels along the entire route.

The first water bus service was launched in 2004 between Ashulia and Sadarghat using two small launches. The service was discontinued after a short period.

In 2010, two water buses, MV Buriganga and MV Turag, were introduced on the route. Another 10 water buses were added in two phases in 2014.

A total of 12 water buses were introduced. At the end of 2014, two were moved from the Gabtoli-Sadarghat route to the Tongi-Narayanganj waterway. The service was discontinued there about a year later.

BIWTC officials say the water bus service failed because of a lack of passengers. One of the main reasons was river pollution. Passengers did not want to travel by water because of the foul smell. There were also other problems.

In 2017, a BIWTC committee recommended several measures, including removing the foul smell from the Buriganga, improving access to the terminals, building walkways along both banks of the river, and increasing lighting, fans and other facilities on water buses.

Some passengers, however, gave a different account.

Mirpur-based fruit trader Touhid Hossain used to travel by water bus from Gabtoli to Sadarghat because he regularly bought fruit from the Badamtoli wholesale market. Sitting at his fruit shop on the embankment road on 3 August, he told Prothom Alo that travelling by water bus was more troublesome than taking a bus.

“Once the water bus was full, we often could not find the driver. We used the water bus to save time, but we ended up spending time at the terminal itself. That is why it lost popularity,” he said.

M Laskar Md Babul, who has worked at Gabtoli terminal for 20 years, said the same thing. Speaking to Prothom Alo on 3 August, he said there was actually no shortage of passengers.

“People would come when we called them over the loudspeaker. But after arriving, they would sit around waiting because the drivers could not be found. Many passengers eventually became frustrated and got off the water bus,” he said.

BIWTC officials said that after the service incurred losses, the operation of the water buses was handed over in 2016 to a private company called Buriganga. That initiative also failed.

The authorities later decided to introduce water buses instead of dinghy boats for passenger transport at Sadarghat. In 2020, eight water buses were leased for six months to the Keraniganj-Buriganga Nouka Majhi Sramik Sramjibi Cooperative Society. However, after incurring losses, the cooperative returned the buses.

According to BIWTC sources, the corporation is now taking steps to sell the water buses as scrap. Nine of the 12 water buses will be sold, while the remaining three are operating on the Aricha-Kazirhat route.

A visit to Badamtoli Ghat in Old Dhaka last Tuesday found five water buses lying in a dilapidated condition. Their windows were broken. Some still had seats, though they were damaged, while others had no seats at all, with thieves having removed them.

Of the remaining four water buses, two are in Narayanganj and two in Chattogram.

BIWTC Public Relations Officer Mohammad Nazrul Islam told Prothom Alo that the vessels are currently abandoned because they no longer have valid fitness certificates. They will be sold through auction.

The landing stations built as part of the circular waterway project have now become something of “ghost houses”. A visit to the Ashulia, Sinnirtek and Gabtoli landing stations on 3 August found the buildings abandoned.

A meeting on restoring the waterways around Dhaka was held on 2 August in a special meeting room of the Cabinet Division at the Secretariat. Prime Minister Tarique Rahman and ministers and secretaries from the relevant ministries attended the meeting.

According to a Bangladesh Sangbad Sangstha report, BIWTC will not be given responsibility for operating water buses on the circular waterway this time. Instead, interested private companies will be given the responsibility, while BIWTA will coordinate the overall process.

BIWTA sources said they have already begun work. Officials are identifying the problems, and initially they are planning to launch water bus services on the Gabtoli-Sadarghat route.

BIWTA Joint Director Mobarak Hossain Majumder told Prothom Alo that the project could be successfully implemented if river pollution is brought under control, publicity is increased and everyone cooperates.

The popularity of waterways in Dhaka is demonstrated by Hatirjheel. Water taxis operate from the FDC end to Gulshan-1, with a fare of Tk 40 per passenger for the seven-kilometre journey. People continue to use the service despite the foul smell around parts of Hatirjheel.

Tanim Hossain, Acting Officer-in-Charge of the FDC jetty for the water taxi service, told Prothom Alo last Friday that they serve 10,000 to 15,000 passengers daily.

Experts say the circular waterway can be made popular, but it requires an integrated plan. Temporary or partial measures will not produce the desired results and would only lead to a waste of public money.

They cited the purchase of DEMU trains worth nearly Tk 600 crore without proper planning as an example. Those trains are now lying unused, much like the water buses.

Professor Adil Mohammad Khan of the Department of Urban and Regional Planning at Jahangirnagar University told Prothom Alo that the circular waterway should not be revived hastily. At least a 15- to 20-year master plan should be prepared and implemented in phases, he said.