Bangladesh Inland Water Transport Authority

Bangladesh Inland Water Transport Authority also known as BIWTA is the authority who controls the inland water transport in Bangladesh. It's also responsible for managing development and maintenance of inland water transport system. The department was first established in 1958 by the former East Pakistan government as East Pakistan Inland Water Transport Authority (EPIWTA). It was established for overall control, management, and development of inland water transports in the entire region. This agency was introduced on October 31, 1958 with the ordinance called the East Pakistan Inland water Transport Authority Ordinance 1958 (E.P. Ordinance, NO LXXV of 1958). Later the government appointed three constituted authority of this institution on November 4, 1958. After independence of Bangladesh this department was named as Bangladesh Inland Water Transport Authority. Today, an appointed advisory committee advise in respect of all related development, maintenance, and operations of inland water transport and of inland waterways in Bangladesh.

Functions:

Carry out river conservancy works including river training works for navigational purposes and for
provision of aids to navigation including marks, buoys, lights and semaphore signals;
 Disseminate navigational and meteorological information including publication of river charts;
 Provided pilotage and hydrographic survey services;
 Draw up programmers of dredging requirements and priorities for efficient maintenance of existing
navigable waterways and for resuscitation of dead or dying rivers, channels, or canals, including
development of new channels and canals for navigation;
 Develop, maintain and operate inland river ports, landing/ferry ghats and terminal facilities in such
ports or ghats;
 Carry out removal of wrecks and obstruction in inland navigable waterways;
 Conduct traffic surveys to establish passenger and cargo requirements on the main rivers, feeders
and creek routes;
 Develop rural water transport by progressing of schemes for modernising and mechanizing country
craft;
 Ensure co-ordination of Inland Water Transport with other forms of transport, with major sea ports,
and with trade and agricultural interests for the optimum utilisation of the available transport
capacity;
 Conduct research in matters relating to Inland Water Transport including development of
 Craft design
 Technique of towage
 Landing and terminal facilities
 Port installations
 Arrange programmes of technical training for Inland Water Transport personnel
 Maintain liaison with the shipyard and ship repair industry to meet the requirements of the Inland
 Water Transport fleet repairs and new constructions
 Maintain liaison with the Government and facilitate import of repair materials for the Inland Water
Transport Industry
 Prepare plans or schemes for carrying out any of the above mentioned functions