Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina recently approved a master plan to rescue the rivers and canals in and around the capital, according to the State Minister for Shipping, Khalid Mahmud Chowdhury.
“It is possible to create an uninterrupted waterway inside the city if the master plan is implemented,” Khalid said.
The state minister made the observation after inaugurating a tree planting program near Birulia Bridge on Monday. He also inspected the evacuated banks of the Buriganga and Turag rivers the same day.
“The Local Government, Rural Development and Co-operatives Ministry, the Shipping Ministry, Water Resources Ministry, the Environment Ministry, and the concerned city corporations will coordinate to initiate the master plan,” said Khalid.
The state minister mentioned there are many canals in and around Dhaka.
“If the plan is executed by rescuing the four rivers around Dhaka and the canals in the city, I think we can introduce a navigation system not only around Dhaka, but through Dhaka as well,” he said.
The prime minister’s aim is to ensure that the natural flow of the water bodies is uninterrupted so that people can utilize them properly, the state minister said.
Khalid said: “We are working to make a green belt around the rivers. Gradually, more trees will be planted on the river banks across the country.”
Shipping Ministry Additional Secretary, Anol Chandra Das, and Bangladesh Inland Water Transport Authority (BIWTA) Chairman, Commodore Golam Mohammad Sadeq, were also present at the program.