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STORMS, TORNADOES

6 harbours on major river routes sought

RAFIQ HASAN
Lack of harbour facilities on major river routes makes several hundred passenger launches plying every day between Dhaka and southern districts vulnerable to disasters in monsoon storms and tornadoes, according to
launch owners and operators.
They suggested setting up 'at least six harbours' on these river routes to provide shelter to passenger launches in cases of rough weather.
The routes between Munshiganj and Chandpur, and Chandpur and
Diara Khal in Barisal become highly risky for water vessels from March to June. Launches plying from Dhaka to Barisal, Patuakhali, Bhola, Borguna, Chandpur, Shariatpur, Madaripur and Pirojpur mainly use these routes.
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"Monsoon storms and tornadoes make the Meghna and Dhaleshwari rivers turbulent, with the water vessels bumping like toys. We are then left with nothing to do but seek the mercy of Allah," said the captain of a Barisal-bound launch.
Most passenger vessels ply at night and they cannot take shelter anywhere in case of rough weather during their journey to Chandpur from Munshiganj, which takes around three hours. They face a similar situation after sailing from Chandpur and before reaching Diara Khal in Barisal, the operators said.
Some small rivers and canals on the route, where launches could take shelter during storms, dry up during the lean period.
"At least six harbours should be set up on the two important river routes to provide shelter to launches in case of danger," said Shahidul Islam Bhuiyan, vice-chairman of the Bangladesh Launch Owners Association.
Launch operators are now forced to anchor the vessels at shoals when storms begin or weather turns rough, he said. As a result, many
vessels get stuck up on the shoals for hours on end and even for days, causing immense suffering to passengers.
He also said the river routes are turning unsafe due to lack of dredging and proper maintenance.
When contacted, shipping ministry officials said setting up six harbours involved an estimated cost of Tk 10 crore, for which the ministry needs an extra allocation of funds.
Shafiqullah, director general of shipping, said they monitor weather conditions during monsoon before giving signals for the plying of passenger launches at night.
A team led by a magistrate remains on duty at the Sadarghat launch terminal in the capital for this purpose.
He mentioned that the government also ordered all double-decker launches to install solid ballasts to ensure more stability and relative safety in rough weather.
The April 30 deadline for this has been extended for another month. But only a few launches have done this so far, sources said.
Launch owners, however, oppose installing solid ballasts, saying they would create a permanent problem. "If solid ballasts are installed, the plates of a launch cannot be removed when needed," Shahidul said.
The government also ordered immediate removal of stairs leading to the roofs of double-decker launches to prevent passengers from travelling on the roof, he added.