CIRCULAR WATERWAY PROJECT

DHAKA

PREPARED BY: Farhana Noor.

Department of Water Resources Engineering, BUET. Edited by:

Raihanul Haque Khan Department of Water Resources Engineering, BUET.

The significance of waterway:

Satellite image of Dhaka city,1984

The significance of waterway:

Satellite image of Dhaka city,2003

The significance of waterway:

• The comparison of the two satellite images show how the waterways in thy city of Dhaka has decreased in just about 10 years.

Features of circular waterway:

Variations of cross-sections with time

Features of circular waterway:

Maximum velocity vs. water level for Balu River,Demra

Features of circular waterway:

Latral distance(m)

Features of circular waterway:

Comprison of minimum bed levels &water levels

Waterway facilities:

• Total network of river system 24,000 km consisting of rivers.

• canals,creeks, water bodies etc. occupying 11%area of the country.

• Navigable for longer sizedvessels 6000 km. (during monsoon i.e. betweenmid November and end of February)

• Navigable round the year 3600 km.

Water Routes:

Introductory history of this project:

• Cicular waterway project is mainly taken to lessening the Dhaka city jam in this tremendous situation. It was planned to connect the water way from Sadarghat to Ashulia then Ashulia Bridge via Tongi to Kanchpur. The project was first taken to 2004.

The project phases:

• The first phase of the Dhaka Circular Waterway project includes the Buriganga and Turag rivers from Sadarghat to Ashulia covering 29.50km of waterways .

• And the second phase that combines the Balu and Shitalakhya rivers from Ashulia Bridge via Tongi to Kanchpur Bridge covers 40.50km of waterways. The project was taken up in 2004.

Project Location

The organizations related to this project:

There was three organizations on to the responsibility this project:

Bangladesh Inland water Transport Authority

Dhaka City Corporation

Local Government Engineering Department.

The landing stations established for 2nd phase work:

1. Tongi

2. Herbaid

3. Trimukh

4. Khardi

5. Ishapura

6. Baraid

7. Kayet para

8. Demra

9. Kanchpur

The Budget of the total project:

• The 1st phase of it has been completed at a cost of Taka 36 crore providing 29.5 km of river routes.

• ECNEC approved the 2nd phase work of the projectat the cost of 47.5 crores.

The consequent circumstance of this project:

A huge public enthusiasm spread among people when it was inaugurated in march last 2005.The first phase of this project has completed and it is already in use. But the 2nd phase of this project is hindered step by step. As a result ,it is unfinished and causes different kinds of problems.

The works included in the 2nd phase work:

The work of the second phase includes:

dredging of 32 lakh cubic metres of silt

construction of four jetties

construction of terminal buildings

The excavation of three canals — Rampura, Meradia and Gobindapur

Hindrances to the 2nd phase project:

• In the present proposed waterway system (30km), some difficulties may be encountered because some low-height bridges were constructed earlier, under which, during the high water level, vessels cannot cross, and loaded vessels cannot ply during the low water level because of the low depth of water in the river. For these reasons, may be,the proposed waterway is about to be abandoned.

A canal filled with wastes

Hindrances to the 2nd phase project:

• The second phase of the project failed get ECNEC’s nod, resulting in delay in resuming the work to complete the waterway.

• The project will be financed under the Japan Debt Cancellation Fund, and an amount of Tk 27.67 crore has been released in the current fiscal year. The fund could not be used in the last two years due to lack of policy decision. The project was scheduled to begin in July 2005.

Current state of this project area:

These landing stations, terminal buildings and other structures are now in a shambles for lack of maintenance and proper care. They are being used as warehouses for rod, cement, sand and other materials by the leaseholders.

Some of the leaseholders have rented out the terminal buildings to some traders for using as their warehouses and there are allegations that the drug addicts and people involved in anti-social activities have been using those abandoned landing stations and the terminal buildings. As a result, the landing stations including the buildings are fast donning the look of haunted places

Current state of this project area:

• Two private motor launches 'Atlas Sun' and 'Shaluk' started carrying passengers after the inauguration of the circular waterway. But they stopped their service within a few months of their introduction as the passengers avoided the waterway as it turned commuter-unfriendly for various crises such as lack of proper navigability, mismanagement etc.

Current state of this project area:

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