2.5 Bangladesh Waterways Assessment
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2.5 Bangladesh Waterways Assessment Overview Navigable River Routes River Ports And Landing Facilities Dhaka River Port Narayanganj River Port Khulna River Port Chandpur River Port Barisal River Port Agencies responsible for waterways Department of Shipping Bangladesh Inland Water Transport Authority Bangladesh Inland Water Transport Corporation International Container Terminal (ICT) and Container Shipping Services Pangaon ICT/River Port Ashugonj ICT/ River Port Summit Alliance Port Ltd International Waterways Page 1 Overview Bangladesh being a country with many rivers, Inland Water Transport (IWT) is a major mode for the transport of goods and people. IWT is the cheapest mode of transport compared to road or rail. Until recently, however, the sector had received little attention from the Government of Bangladesh with only limited resources allocated to its development. In addition, these resources were mostly used to develop the main routes (the ones most used by large mechanized vessels) while secondary rivers and transport using country boats (mainly rural and until recently non-mechanized vessels constructed in traditional design) were given second priority. The total length of rivers in Bangladesh is estimated to be in the range of some 24,000 kilometres, providing a very high degree of penetration. Out of this total, 6,000 kilometres are accessible for movement of modern mechanized vessels during the monsoon season, and out of this, some 3,800 kilometres are navigable around the year. Country boats, in the number of several hundred thousands, are traditional vessels which have been plying inland and coastal waters for hundreds of years and which play a key role as a rural mode of transport of goods and people. Inland ports and other facilities include 11 major inland ports, 23 coastal island ports, 133 launch stations and more than 1,000 minor landing points located in rural areas. Page 2 Length of inland waterways 24,000 km Length of navigable waterways Monsoon: 5,968 km Dry season: 3,865 km Least available depth range 3.90 m to 1.50 m Annual water discharge (Source: BWDB) 1400 billion cubic meter Annual quantum of silt (Source: BWDB) 2.5 billion tons No. of passenger carried (In year) 87.80 million Quantum of cargo carried (In year) 58 million tons Total manpower- 1682 During emergencies, there is little probability that it will be used by agencies, being too slow compared to road or helicopter deliveries. Nevertheless at local level, it is probable that many remote areas will – in the initial phases – only be reachable by IWT / coastal sea-trucks. Navigable River Routes Both Bangladesh Inland Water Transport Authority (BIWTA) and Corporation (BIWTC) provide pilotage facilities to about 7,000 inland water vessels. They regulate the movement of about 2000 passenger launches and maintains 22 inland ports along with about 800 launch ghats including terminals. Approximate 6000 km Navigable River route is further classified into following 4 categories by BIWTA depending on the drought and clearance: Class Minimum Length Minimum Vertical Minimum Horizontal Remarks Draught & % Clearance Clearance Class- 3.66 m 683 km 18.30 m 76.22 m Least Available Draft (LAD) of 3.6 m required to be maintained round I (11%) the year. Class- 2.13 m 1000 km 12.20 m 76.22 m Links major inland ports or place of economic importance to class I II (17%) routes Class 1.52 m 1885 km 7.62 m 30.48 m Being seasonal in nature, it is not feasible to maintain higher LAD –III (32%) throughout the year Class Less than 1.52 2400 km 5.00 m 20.00 m These are seasonal routes where maintenance of LAD of 1.5m or –IV m (40%) more in dry season not feasible Total 5968 km BIWTC is facilitating passenger and cargo movement in the inland waterways and also offshore islands in the public sector vis-à-vis private sectors. It is operating 35 ferries in different routes. On the other hand, ocean shipping performs 80% of the export-import trade. A WB study reveals that IWT has been the least expensive mode of transport, than that of rail and road. As such, considering the facts of land-man ratio and scarcity of land for further expansion of road networks in the country, IWT sub-sector has given the outmost importance specially dredging various river routes for making them navigable round the year. To develop a balanced and cheap transport system in Bangladesh, it is important to improve IWT both from infrastructure and technological points of view. IWT sub-sector suffers from (i) siltation problem in inland waterways, (ii) day & night navigational problem of waterways, (iii) shortage of passenger & cargo handling facilities including transit shed at river ports, (iv) Presence of manual loading/unloading of cargo at river ports, (v) underdeveloped rural launch landing stations, inadequate number of water crafts both for river and ocean going etc. Moreover, for transportation of containers by inland waterways to and from two seaports, the container handling facilities have not yet been developed. Decades of insufficient investment, and challenged governance Ltd the development of the port sector of the country. Due to geographical position and topological condition of the country rivers are becoming more and more narrow and thin by siltation. As such, implementation of comprehensive capital dredging program is the biggest challenge for the IWT sub-sector. Specific challenges identified in the sub-sector are: (i) channeling of the existing waterways through massive dredging and procurement of dredgers, (ii) construction of deep sea port to streamline international trade; (iii) improvement of day and night navigation for water crafts by providing navigational aids; and (iv) construction of inland container river port for transportation of containers by waterways to/from sea ports etc. Transportation Through Waterways BIWTA and corporation BIWTC are the 2 main players of the government which keeps the inland waterways navigable and safe for smooth transportation of cargo and passengers. IWT continues to be an important mode of transport not only in the inland movement of freight and passengers but also in the transportation of import and export items through the ports of Chattogram, Mongla, and Payra. The high degree of penetration of the IWT network provides access to about 25% of the rural household in Bangladesh. Page 3 IWT has 3 functions with distinct modes of operations and stakeholders: National: This consists of trunk haulage of freight and passenger carriage along the main corridors of demand between the ports and major economic centers (including international). Trips are medium to long distance and high volume movements are recorded. Vessels are modern vessels of large capacity (100 to 1,200 passengers, 20 to 1,800 tons). Local: This consists of feeder, distribution and local traffic. Trips are mostly on short distances with low volume movements to and from (and between) smaller communities. The demand is predominantly for passenger movement but with an important need to accommodate modest freight loads, usually for small enterprise, small-holder or ‘own account’ purposes. Local trips use traditional country boats offering a capacity of up to 100 passengers and 100 tons. Ferries: Ferries link sections of roads separated by large channels in the absence of bridges. Functionally these are an entirely separate category since they are part of the road transport system rather than the IWT system. However, operationally it is sensible to integrate aspects of the ferry services (such as vessel maintenance and repair and river dredging) with those of IWT. In addition, there exist a dynamic private sector which leads most of the sector activities such as cargo transport, port management and ship building that helps the sector’s contribution to share growth and poverty reduction. Constraints in waterways system The inland waterway system is not used to its full potential, due in part to inadequate dredging and shortage of berthing facilities. Tariffs regulated by the Government are insufficient, and as a result boats are overloaded, the cause for more than half of the accidents on waterways. The private sector is more efficient in dredging, and offers a capacity of 6.9 million cubic meters: 2.5 times the capacity of the BIWTA and at lower cost. Improved waterways have the potential to reduce transport costs for bulk cargo and provide better access to areas, such as in the North-West of Bangladesh, where road access is Ltd. The infrastructure problems on the inland waterways system are significant. Within Bangladesh there is high rate of siltation and bank erosion, and as a result it is difficult for the vessels to navigate along these waterways. Extensive dredging is required to maintain these waterways but unfortunately funds are not available for this work. Major parts of the corridor suffer from navigational hazards, such as shallow water, narrow width of channels and inadequate navigational aids. As a result, night navigation is allowed only on certain sections. The condition of piers, jetties and other infrastructure in both countries is generally poor. There is a lack of storage facilities; cargo handling equipment and existing support craft such as pilot, mooring and survey boats are in short supply with many of them being unserviceable. The lack of container handling facilities has been cited as a problem. However, it is considered very doubtful whether there will ever be sufficient demand to invest in such specialized facilities. India has recognized the problem and is taking action to provide new terminals capable of handling containers. Storage facilities are also planned at proposed terminals in India and depending on the utilization of these terminals/routes provision/up-gradation of these facilities could be considered from time to time. If similar facilities are provided in the Bangladesh portion of the protocol routes, it will further enhance utilization of the routes.