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Published : 19 May 2025, 01:07 AM
The Local Government Engineering Department (LGED) is constructing a jetty at Gorokghata on the Maheshkhali Channel in Cox’s Bazar, defying objections from the Bangladesh Inland Water Transport Authority (BIWTA).
In the process, the agency has felled several thousands of mangrove trees from the coastal forest.
The jetty is being built at the estuary and on the shoal land of the Maheshkhali Channel, one of the most crucial waterways in southern Chattogram.
Concerns have arisen that the structure could cause siltation and ultimately lead to the channel’s degradation.
During a visit to Cox’s Bazar on Apr 24, Shipping and Labour Advisor M Sakhawat Hussain said the construction was carried out without BIWTA’s approval and involved illegal tree cutting.
BIWTA’s Deputy Director (Ports and Traffic) Nayon Shil said, “The Maheshkhali Channel is a key waterway for draining water from southern Chattogram into the Bay of Bengal.
“The unauthorised construction by LGED now poses threats to cause sedimentation in the channel.”
He said the authorities had issued a letter at the start of the work asking the LGED to stop the construction but they ignored the directive.
The official noted that he was posted in Cox’s Bazar at that time and said a new letter is currently being drafted to halt the ongoing construction.
“Any construction on rivers, waterways, or shoal lands requires BIWTA’s approval. The LGED did not obtain that approval and breached regulations.”
A recent visit to the site revealed that the piling work at the channel and shoal land in Maheshkhali Upazila’s Gorokghata is underway. Thousands of mangrove trees have already been cut.
Only 300 meters from the new construction site, there is an older jetty at the Gorokghata canal, which is also connected to the channel.
LGED’s Maheshkhali Upazila Engineer Bani Amin said the new jetty is 700 metres long and 7.3 metres wide, with a 300-metre connecting road. The Tk 364.8 million project began in April 2023.
“The foundation work is complete. The old jetty is only 10 feet wide, while ours is 24 feet. This project is being undertaken for public benefit,” he said.
However, the fallen trees were planted during the fiscal year 2003–04 as part of a coastal afforestation initiative to bolster natural disaster resilience.
According to the Forest Department, the Coastal Afforestation Division in Chattogram sent an objection letter to LGED’s Cox’s Bazar office on Jul 31, 2023, noting that environment ministry approval is mandatory for cutting such trees.
Mamun Khan, executive engineer of LGED, Cox’s Bazar, said they had obtained clearance from the Forest Department but not from the BIWTA.
When asked about the BIWTA’s letter, he said he could not recall receiving it.
He was also unable to confirm whether a feasibility study had been conducted before beginning the construction.
