Barisal Port In A Declining State

Barisal River Port, a 154-year-old southern hub of transportation system connecting different parts of Bangladesh through waterways, is losing its importance due to declining navigability and lessening flow of passengers who are more attracted to road transport system nowadays.

- Wafiur Rahman

Although the private sector has emerged as major players with more than 90% share in transportation of passengers and goods, a lack of proper regulation and incentive for higher investments is making the river port less useful day by day despite all potential benefits of using water routes.

Still, Barisal is the country’s second largest river port in terms of passenger handling after Dhaka and the fourth in terms of income after Dhaka, Narayanganj and Khulna. Currently, more than 18,000 passengers use this river port every day, according to sources at the local port authority. It is also considered as a transit point between Mongla and Chittagong marine ports, Khulna and Dhaka and other river ports of Bangladesh as well as between Poshcim Bangla and Assam and Tripura of India.

Located at the divisional headquarters, this river port has a length of five kilometres on the western bank of the Kirtonkhola River. It is divided into different portions as single deck, double deck launches, rocket steamer and coastal shipping services and fishing ports.

History

The river station of Barisal Girdey Bandar, which was famous for salt trading, turned into Barisal Bandar (port) after the town committee was created in 1869 and given municipal status in 1876. In 1884, Bengal Central Flotilla Company introduced regular steamer service between Barisal and Khulna, the nearest railway station then.