Dredging old Brahmaputra to reduce distance with India: minister

The distance between India and Bangladesh over waterways will decline by 116 kilometres after the excavation of the old Brahmaputra river, said State Minister for Shipping Khalid Mahmud Chowdhury yesterday. 

The government has taken a project to dredge the river, he told a workshop organised by Bangladesh Inland Water Transport Authority at Pan Pacific Sonargaon Dhaka on restoring the river's flow during the dry season.

Rivers should be maintained to ensure normal flow and Sylhet, Sunamganj, Netrakona and northern areas have been flooded due to a lack of navigability in rivers, he said.

Opening the mouth of the Brahmaputra river will ensure the flow of water of the Turag and Balu rivers while pollution around Dhaka will be reduced, he said.

"This is a big challenge. The project is ongoing. A lot of digging has been done on the lower side. If the mouth of Brahmaputra river can be opened, it will be a great success," he said.