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NAVIGATION on many river and coastal routes of the southern region has become risky for poor marking signs with the emergence of under water shoals.
   Masters of the river vessels are facing problems as buoys, beacon lights and other marking signs go out of order frequently or float away every day by current. In some cases, there are not sufficient marking signs.
   Barisal Launch Owners’ Association vice-chairman Khorshed Alam said, ‘Although the Bangladesh Inland Water Transport Authority claims safe navigation on 22 out of 40 regional routes, river vessels on only seven routes are operated amid high risk. And the vessels have been facing problems on the rest 33 routes for long.’
   Different stations on Barisal–Mathbaria, Barisal –Hularhut, Barisal–Mohipur, Barisal–Goma, and Barisal –Galachipa routes have already been closed and Shaberhut –Tungibaria canal on Barisal –Bhola, Basnir Khal on Barisal –Dhaka routes are often disrupted due to emergence of shoals.
   Navigation through Bamir-char–Bhashanchar channel on Barisal–Dhaka routes has become dangerous due to absence of buoy, beacon and other route signs and markings, he added.
   Barisal port officer Rafikul Islam said there were 107 tower beacon lights and six buoys lights floating and onshore in this region. Fishermen often break the instruments after their nets become intertwined with the lights and sometimes solar panels worth Tk 7 lakh installed on each of the lights are stolen by the thieves.
   Besides, acute workforce shortage is also creating problems in monitoring safe navigation as posts of 12 out of 32 pilots and 8 out of 25 marksmen are lying vacant for long.
   Claiming regular dredging operations for maintaining navigability on these routes, the port officer said only seven old model dredgers under BIWTA dredging fleet were not sufficient to maintain navigability on huge number of river routes, especially in the silt-prone downstream rivers.
   On the other hand, as shipping ordinance is not revised to coop with modern navigation rules, most of the water transports are running without sufficient trained deck and driving crews, radars, hydraulic wheels and eco-sounding equipments for measuring depth of water and fog lights.
   Ranjan Mia, master of a BIWTC sea truck vessel plying on Barisal–Bhola–Lakshmipur coastal route, said it was very difficult to ply the vessels safely due to emergence of shoals and absence of marking signs.
   Md Jahir, a BIWTA pilot of Barisal–Chittagong coastal route, said it was very difficult to ply water transports during fog and over unmarked under water shoals.
   Abdul Huq, another BIWTA pilot of Barisal–Khulna route, said marking signs, especially the signs of newly emerged under water shoals, were yet to be reinstalled on most of the routes.
   Abdul Mannan, master of triple decked launch MV Sundarbon-7, plying on Barisal–Dhaka–Barisal route, said, ‘At least five lighted buoys are required on Koilarkhal to Nalbunia channel of this route and in absence of those we operating the vessels blindly with great risks in dark and foggy nights.’