Ensure regular fitness tests of water transports to help avoid accidents

A ro-ro ferry named Amanat Shah, carrying 17 vehicles and some passengers, capsized in Padma River close to the Paturia ferry ghat in Manikganj on Wednesday morning. Bangladesh Inland Water Transport Authority (BIWTA) said the ferry was built in the 1980s and its life expired 20 years ago. The number of accidents on inland waterways has increased significantly in recent years. A probe committee is formed every time after a major accident but such committees neither submit reports in time nor review policies for change. We learn nothing from previous errors that recur again and again, which we lament.
Hundreds of people die each year in inland waterways accidents in Bangladesh. Last August, 19 people were killed after a boat packed with passengers slammed into a vessel transporting sand in Brahmanbaria. In May at least 26 people died after an overcrowded speed boat collided with a sand-laden bulk carrier and sank in the Padma. Frequent accidents on inland waterways have caused significant loss of human lives and properties. A recent study revealed that most of the accidents and casualties are caused by collisions between vessels. Furthermore, around half of the accidents are caused by cargo vessels and trawlers. About 57.6% of fatalities occur during the four months from February to May. It is also found that the most accident-prone zone is the southern part of the country.
The ro-ro ferry accident occurred reportedly as a hole developed in the hull of the vessel. BIWTA authorities did not succeed to move the heavy sunken ferry, not to talk about salvaging it in two days. Some trucks and container vehicles that went under the water with the ferry were recovered on Thursday. Bangladesh has a vast network of inland waterways. This allows easier and cheaper transportation to the people of this low-income nation. However, we need modern and fit water transports and ferries to carry passengers and motor vehicles. Water transports, like motor vehicles, should undergo regular fitness tests to avoid the ro-ro ferry-like accidents which cause colossal loss of life and property.