WB to help restore navigability of selected rivers
The government will effectively maintain information on the rivers nationwide and will restore the navigability of selected rivers with the assistance of the World Bank (WB).
The proposed Bangladesh Rivers Information and Conservation (BRIC) project focuses on upgrading the hydrological network of the country, restoration of the Gorai river mouth, and providing support to institutional development for water resources management, said a WB press statement yesterday.
The country's growing population and increasing industrialisation have led to deterioration of the water quality. Moreover, the climate change impacts, such as rise in sea level and increased storm surges, are threatening of inundation and saltwater intrusion into agricultural land.
According to the statement, the 310 rivers flowing through the country are the lifelines of which 57 are international rivers and of those 54 are shared with India.
So, it is important for Bangladesh to enhance information, infrastructure and institutions related to water management.
The statement also said millions of people of Bangladesh would suffer from the silting up of the Gorai river, the last remaining major channel in the South West due to a lack of fresh water resources.
The initial restoration of the Gorai river mouth would take at least three years.
The proposed BRIC project involving $180 million will address these issues. The project preparation fund involving three milling dollar was approved in July.
Feasibility analytical studies that are part of project preparation are being commissioned, and are likely to be mobilised by mid-October.
The press statement also said that less than 10 percent of the river basin falls within the national territory. And that over 95 percent of all river flows are concentrated in just three rivers - the Ganges, Brahmaputra and Meghna.
Moreover, most of these flows are concentrated within just 5 months of the year, with limited infrastructure in the country to store water for the long lean season. Bangladesh's geographical position makes it vulnerable to natural disasters including floods, droughts, and cyclones.
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