There is perhaps no better example than Hatirjheel when it comes to saving travel time through a water taxi system in Dhaka, a city that has become synonymous with pollution and traffic congestion.
Unfortunately, the destruction and pollution of rivers and khals (canals), once abundant in and around the capital, has closed off viable water routes. Those routes could have aided in reducing traffic in the metropolitan city, where the average speed of vehicles has slowed down to 4.5 kilometers per hour from 21 kilometers in a decade.
However, recently a study by three naval architects found that at least one existing route in the northern part can be used for waterbus navigation.
The initial survey was carried out to find out a sustainable water transport system for the northern region of the capital.
A three-member team from the Bangladesh University of Science and Technology designed a monohull vessel equipped to navigate through congested areas and sharp bends.
The speed of the 13-metre waterbuses will be 10 knots, considering the safety of smaller boats and households at the riverbanks, said Dr Mashiur Rahman, one of the researchers and professor at Buet Department of Naval Architecture and Marine Engineering.
Each of the steel-bodied vessels will cost approximately Tk38 lakhs, with a capacity of carrying 40 passengers.
The proposed 28.5-kilometre route can connect Rampura to Uttara through Khilgaon, said Mashiur.
He added that not only can the water route connect a few of the busiest hubs in the capital, if the authorities want, but it can also be connected to Hatirjheel.
According to the survey, it will take a person around 1hour and 35 minutes to reach Uttara’s Janapath from Rampura Bridge. The commute time from Khilgaon’s Trimohini will be 1hour and 10 minutes.
During peak hours (8am-10am and 5pm-8pm) it takes the gate-locked and airconditioned buses at least two hours to cover the same route. During the off-peak hours the travel time is approximately 1hour and 15minutes.
Given the limited number of gate-lock services, people have to resort to local buses that take around three hours during peak time. The travel time is two hours during regular hours.
The boats or waterbuses will be able to navigate from Rampura to Trimohini to Balu River junction to Kayetpara to Ichapura to Turag River. The route is already navigable with the lowest breadth of 7.32 meters.
“As per the survey data, the minimum depth of the route is 1.5 meters. We fixed the draft of the boat as 0.80 meter and breadth 4.50 meters so that it can serve passengers round the year,” Mashiur told Dhaka Tribune.
The route has so far only been used recently for the movement of goods but not for passenger transport.
“The Rampura Bridge-Khilgaon-Uttara waterway can be vital as it includes a number of residential housing projects that do not have the facility of direct bus services to the southern part of the city,” Mshiur said.
Detailed Area Plan (DAP) 2035 Project Director Ashraful Islam says that if waterbuses are to be operated, the canal from Rampura Bridge to Meradia Bazar needs to be dredged to ensure movement in all seasons.
“The rest of the route is navigable. Vessels use this route already to transport goods to the northern part of the capital. The route is a part of a circular waterway around Dhaka city,” he said.
Shortened commute times
The 10-kilometre distance from Aftabnagar to ‘Ruposhi Bangla Model Town’ and ‘Kapotakkha Green City’ near Balu River will take no longer than 35 minutes, according to the survey.
Right next to them at a distance of 13 kilometers from Rampura Bridge, there is Beraid Boat Ghat which will be a 40-minute commute.
The Anondo Police Housing Society is located 16 kilometers from Rampura Bridge through the waterway.
It will take around 55 minutes to reach the 300 ft road from the starting point at Rampura and an additional 0.5 kilometer has to be traveled through another transportation mode to arrive at the destination while on roadways, it requires more than 1 hour and 30 minutes via Progoti Sarani - Debogram Road - Purbachal Express Highway.
It will take the waterbuses an hour to reach the Balu Bridge on the Purbachal Express Highway. From this point, it will take another 25 minutes to reach Bashundhara Residential Area. Now, through the road transport network, it takes 30 minutes to reach Bashundhara Residential Area from Rampura Bridge during regular traffic hours.
According to the study, the Balu Bridge is 13 Kilometers along the waterway from Khilgaon’s Trimohini. It takes around 1hour and 20minutes from Khilgaon to reach Bashundhara Residential Area via Bir Uttam Rafiqul Islam Avenue and Madani Avenue under usual traffic conditions.
Purbachal Residential Model Town, the biggest planned township in Bangladesh, which is located between the Shitalakhya and the Balu River at Rupganj in Narayanganj District and Kaligonj in Gazipur District will be easily accessible as well.
It will take 20 minutes to reach the Purbachal Residential Model Town from the Balu Bridge at Purbachal Express Highway.
From Rampura Bridge, the waterbus can transport passengers to Tongi, 27 kilometers off Rampura within one-and-half hours, while from Khilgaon it will take one hour and ten minutes.
Researchers said that while the complete water transport network will save time and money, it needs detailed study.