State Minister for Shipping Khalid Mahmud Chowdhury on Tuesday said some 26,181 small and large illegal structures were evicted from river banks during 2014-24.
Besides, 1160.62 acres of river bank land were recovered during the period, the State Minister for Shipping said these in response to a tabled question of independent MP Khasru Chowdhury in Parliament.
The BIWTA has taken initiatives to evict illegal structures on the river banks, he said.
He said the total length of the circular waterway around the capital Dhaka is 110 km.
There are four inland river ports in Dhaka, Narayanganj, Tongi and Mirkadim adeclared which are used for the transportation of passengers and goods by inland waterways.
All these inland river ports are managed by BIWTA for smooth cargo and passenger transportation, he said.
The minister said a study was conducted by World Bank to restore the rivers. The World Bank proposed an Umbrella Investment Program (UIP) involving all stakeholders to restore the rivers.
A national committee was formed to implement the proposal and work is underway, he said.
“If it is implemented, the rivers around Dhaka will be completely free of pollution and sustainable development of the environment will be possible.”
In response to the question from ruling party MP Mahbubur Rahman, State Minister for Shipping Khalid Mahmud Chowdhury said that about 92 per cent of the country's import-export trade and about 98 per cent of container goods are handled through Chittagong port.
