The government is planning to resume water bus services on Dhaka’s circular waterways within the next two to three months to ease traffic congestion, Shipping Minister Sheikh Rabiul Alam said on Monday.
He made the remarks while replying to a supplementary question from Kishoreganj-2 constituency lawmaker Mujibul Rahman during a parliamentary session chaired by Speaker Hafiz Uddin Ahmad.
The minister said water bus services had been operating around Dhaka for the past 10 years, but mismanagement resulted in losses of Tk57 crore during the period, or around Tk5.7 crore annually.
The Bangladesh Inland Water Transport Authority (BIWTA) has identified the problems behind the losses, and water buses will be reintroduced soon to ensure easier movement, he said.
Rabiul Alam said 424 pollution points have been identified in rivers surrounding Dhaka, including the Buriganga, where chemical, liquid and solid waste are being discharged.
He said the government is working through a coordinated initiative involving Dhaka Water Supply and Sewerage Authority (WASA), city corporations, BIWTA and the Ministry of Water Resources to make the rivers pollution-free.
The minister added that the Ministry of Environment and the Ministry of Industries are taking strict measures to prevent industrial waste from being dumped into rivers.
