How navigable are the rivers?

A navigability survey on the country's 53 river routes will be completed by this month, shipping minister Shajahan Khan told parliament on Wednesday.

With financial support from the World Bank, Bangladesh Inland Water Transport Authority (BIWTA) is conducting the survey under a project, "Inland Waterway Navigability Study” he said.

He made this statement replying to an un-starred question from independent member of parliament (Reserved Seat-42) Nurjahan Begum.

An agreement to this effect was signed with international consultancy firm Royal Haskoning DHV Netherlands BV on 27 January and its survey related activities are now going on, the minister said.

"The survey will be completed by June 2016. Development projects will be taken following the recommendations of the study," he said.

The government has a plan to dredge some 30 river routes to get rid of shoals in the upcoming fiscal year, the shipping minister said in reply to a starred question from ruling Awami League MP MA Maleque (Dhaka-20).

Under the capital dredging project and other related projects, the dredging works now continue in some 37 river routes to remove shoals, he said.

Twenty other river routes are being dredged to get rid of shoals in the outgoing fiscal of 2015-16 as part of conservation of the rivers, he added.