Hatirjheel ferrying could help leapfrog Dhaka's traffic gridlock

It feels like a pleasure trip to Atique Mustahid who chose to travel through Hatirjheel waterway to go to Bashundhara City Shopping Mall from Shahjadpur to leapfrog nagging road congestion.

He opted for Hatirjheel water taxi for a shortcut at rush hours on a busy Sunday morning.

Dhaka city has just 7.0-percent road capacity against the standard capacity of 25 per cent. Again, Dhaka now bears a burden of vehicles five times its capacity.

The repercussion is evident: commuter hassle for increased traffic on inadequate roads.

Mr Mustahid, a 27-year-old private jobholder, bought a 30-taka ticket for a trip from Gulshan-01 Gudaraghat to FDC water terminal to reach his destination.

"It took only 20 minutes to reach FDC Ghat. I often travel through Hatirjheel waterway to enjoy jam-free travel through the scenic natural beauty."

But the commuter had to walk first before taking a private vehicle to Bashundhara City for lack of adequate road-transport facility.

Like urban planners and transport experts, Mr Mustahid believes Dhaka's terrific congestion can be cut to some extent if the Hatirjheel waterway is fully exploited.

The Hatirjheel waterway project is operational in part as long as the master plan is concerned.

The Rajdhani Unnayan Kartripakkha (RAJUK) undertook the 302-acre Hatirjheel project in 2013 to facilitate connectivity between Dhaka's east and west.

It launched the waterbus service in 2016. RAJUK and Bangladesh Army supervise the project.

Watercrafts have been built in a way to let travellers enjoy the bounties of Hatirjheel. Currently, the taxis are operating from FDC, Police Plaza, Gulshan-01, Merul Badda and Rampura.

Each craft has 32-50 seating capacity. Fifteen taxis in operation now ferry 6,000-7,000 commuters daily.

According to the project, the service is designed to connect commuters from Moghbazar to Kuril.

The number of commuters will double if it connects through Gulshan-02, according to city planners.

Bangladesh Institute of Planners president Mohammad Fazle Reza Sumon says, "Implementation of the master plan and connecting so many areas through waterways will help ease congestion during working hours."

"We need a road network to make the Hatirjheel waterway effective," he explains while talking to the FE.

"There are some five such potential waterways in Dhaka that we can re-excavate for connectivity. These waterways hold the potential to help reduce the city's road traffic."

Meanwhile, the current financial fluidity has forced the government to put on hold further expansion of the Hatirjheel waterway to comply with the master plan.

A plan was afoot to build another bridge to connect Gulshan-02, which could double the number of users of those waterbuses, but it petered out for budget cuts.

RAJUK chief engineer (project and design) ASM Raihanul Ferdous said the proposed constriction works of a new connecting bridge in Gulshan-1 to connect the Gulshan-2 were suspended due to the government budget cut.

The unfinished works might resume in a year or two, according to the official, who is also concerned with the Hatirjheel project.

"If we can install another bridge to connect Gulshan-02, the number of commuters will grow sharply. It will definitely help reduce pressure of traffic on roads."

DEV DISTURBS HATIRJHEEL

The Hatirjheel authorities have no plan to add any new craft to the existing fleet as it may harm the panoramic looks of this aesthetically-pleasing project.

Mr Sumon, however, expressed concern over the filling up of a part of the project for Dhaka expressway, saying it has already harmed Hatirjheel.

But Mr Ferdous said expressway contractors were permitted to fill up parts of the lake temporarily.

"We'll reclaim the lake areas and remove the filled-up earth soon after the expressway project is done."

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