Karnaphuli dredging likely to start in Dec

The much-talked about capital dredging of the river Karnaphuli and construction of a 2.5km marine driveway with bank protection wall along the city side of the river is likely to begin in December.
Chittagong Port Authority (CPA) completed pre-qualification bidding and short-listing of bidders last month in this regard where 12, out of 18 bidders, were found pre-qualified.
A consultant team of Bangladesh University of Engineering and Technology (Buet) has already prepared tender documentation, project designing and other works required for floating the main tender.
Tender is likely to be floated by next week to appoint contractor for the dredging and construction works under the project involving around Tk 376 crore, said the sources at CPA.
The implementation of the project is likely to start by December this year to be completed within the scheduled time, they hoped.
The capital dredging became a crying need since navigable capacity of the Karnaphuli decreased seriously in the upstream of Sadarghat lighterage jetty, sources said, adding that it has taken serious turn for lack of capital dredging for over two decades, sources said.
After the last capital dredging was done in 1987, the navigability of the river could be maintained only in front of the jetties and at the port channel through maintenance dredging.
Massive siltation in the upstream of the river posed a threat to movement of inland water transports like cargo and passenger vessels. Deposition of silt in front of several jetties also caused the vessels anchor far into river to offload cargoes and passengers in Sadarghat area, said the sources.
CPA also took initiative for the capital dredging project back in 2005. But, it could not be implemented due to a reported inflation of the project cost.
Process of implementing the project got a fresh start immediate after the shipping ministry approved the project on October 13, 2009.
Sources said some 3.5 Million Cubic Meters (mcm) earth would be dredged from some 3km bed of the Karnaphuli stretching from Sadarthat lighterage jetty towards upstream some 500 meters off Shah Amanat Bridge (the 2nd bridge over the Karnaphuli) under the project.
At the same time a 2.5 marine driveway with bank protection wall and jetties would be constructed along right bank of the river stretching from Sadarghat to upstream, informed Project Director Habibur Rahman.
As per the project profile approved by the shipping ministry, implementation of the project was scheduled to start on July 1 in 2009 to be completed by June 1, 2012, Habibur said.
Instruction has been made to complete implementation of the project within 18 months of commencement and within the scheduled time, he added.
Sources said of the estimated project cost, Tk 190 crore would be spent for construction of jetties, Tk 115 crore for dredging and Tk 50 crore for protection wall or embankments while the rest would be required other heads of the projects.
The cost for protection walls or embankments was earlier estimated at Tk 36 crore. But, it rose to Tk 50 crore since eight culverts required to be constructed before going for construction of the protection wall and embankments, sources said.
CPA took a Tk 74 crore capital dredging project under a Japanese Debt Cancellation Programme for the same dredging and bank protection work back in 2005.
The Executive Committee of National Economic Council (Ecnec) approved project concept paper (PCP) of the capital dredging project on February 27 in 2005 while the Department for Project Evaluation Committee (DPEC) okayed the project paper on May 11, 2005.
But, a Revised Development Project Proforma (RDPP) prepared in June 2006 inflated the project cost by a staggering 345 percent to Tk 255.30 crore, prompting the shipping ministry to cancel the project.
A fresh DPP prepared in 2008 of Tk 411.72 crore was recast and a project profile was finalised last year to implement the project at a cost of Tk 376 crore, sources said.