Speakers at a programme on Tuesday stressed the need for revitalising inland waterways through improved navigability by river engineering and dredging for low-cost domestic communications as well as cross-border trade.
They also said in the post-pandemic era, inland waterways-based goods transport could be one of the deciding factors for economic recovery in the South Asian region.
The views came at a virtual event titled "Promoting Inland Waterways: Prospects and Challenges" organised as part of a series of regional- cooperation dialogues initiated by Unnayan Shamannay (UnSy) marking its 25th founding anniversary.
Inaugurated by former governor of Bangladesh Bank and UnSy Chairperson Dr Atiur Rahman, the programme was addressed by Bangladesh Cargo Vessel Owners' Association Executive Director Mahbub Uddin Ahmed, Bengal Chamber of Commerce and Industry (Kolkata) Director Soma Mitra, CUTS International Policy Analyst Arnab Ganguly. UnSy Research Associate Ayan Soofi presented the keynote paper.
In his speech, Dr Atiur said despite having huge potential, inland waterways get less importance from the policy perspective compared to rail and road connectivity.
“Waterways are cost-effective and environment-friendly than other modes of transportation but the sector remains largely untapped,” he said.
Referring to an ample opportunity for investment in the country's inland waterways, he said there is lack of dredging equipment in the country which is prerequisite to maintain navigability in rivers and canals.
Giving example, the former central bank governor said the activities at Benapole land port in Jashore can be halved if the water connectivity is made functional.
Dr Atiur also said revival of inland waterways can greatly benefit the country's small and medium enterprises regarding to goods transportation as it can be the cheapest option for them.
Besides, he opined that in the post-Covid world, inland waterways-based trading will be more important for the countries in South Asia.
Mentioning that around 80 per cent of the investments for economic recovery are going to the developed countries while developing countries lost foreign direct investments by 12 per cent, he said, "Under the circumstances, there is no alternative to increasing regional trading between the South Asian countries."
In this regard, inland waterways transport can be easier and more cost- effective option for trading parties, he said.
Mr Ahmed said the entire South Asian region can be benefited through enhancement of inland waterways-based trade and transportation but more investment is required to make it happen.
"All stakeholders especially international development partners must come together to attain the goal through sustainable investments," he added.
Mrs Mitra highlighted the possibility of reducing the pressure on the Benapole land port through facilitating waterways-based transportation in the north-eastern part of West Bengal.
In the presentation, Mr Soofi showed that through activating the waterways, traffic in the Benapole, Sonamasjid, and Burimari land ports can be reduced by 53 per cent, 90 per cent and 99 per cent respectively.
Citing an UnSy report, he also said transport cost can be reduced by around 60 per cent if river routes are used instead roads.
