Move to clean Dhaka rivers
Govt to procure 'garbage eater,' says BIWTA chairman
The government is going to procure two units of excavenza, a modern equipment known as 'garbage eater' from the USA to clean water and lift waste from the rivers around the capital.
The Tk 50-crore equipment will reach the country in early 2011 to remove waste from the Buriganga, the Balu, the Turag and the Shitalakkha, Bangladesh Inland Water Transport Authority (BIWTA) Chairman Abdul Malek Mian told the news agency.
To this end, a Tk 55-crore project is expected to be approved by the Executive Committee of National Economic Council (Ecnec) in October to procure the equipment to make the rivers pollution-free by lifting waste, demarcation of boundaries and construction of infrastructures, he said.
The project is already included in the annual development programme of the current fiscal year and the tender process would be completed within December this year after approval by the Ecnec.
Then the equipment would be procured to start lifting of waste from the rivers around Dhaka in January 2011.
The BIWTA chairman said US company Excavenza 2000 Limited has given a proposal to supply the world famous modern equipment excavenza. This equipment can make pollution-free 10,000 litres of water per hour and mixes oxygen with water.
He said efforts are being made to rejuvenate the rivers around Dhaka in the same process the Miami in the US and the Thames in the UK were made pollution-free.
The BIWTA chief said now about 1400-1800 cubic feet waste is being lifted from four points in the Buriganga everyday.
The second phase of lifting waste through the process will resume in full sewing in October when the flow of water will decline.
The BIWTA has fixed a target of lifting 48 lakh cft of waste from the Buriganga, the Turag, the Balu and the Shitalakkha.
After this, more waterbuses would be pressed into service on circular route around Dhaka and two terminals would be set up at Kanchpur and Tongi.
The BIWTA chairman said the dredging of the rivers would also go on at the same time.
BIWTA Chief Engineer Abdul Matin said the modern excavenza will soak all waste in the river and make room for oxygen in the water.
He said, as per the recommendation of the taskforce on environment, a proposal is under consideration of the law ministry to enact a law to stop dropping of waste in the rivers.
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