A preventable disaster

Salvaging a sunken launch: Irreversible loss, but preventable

In most of the launch disasters in the rivers of Bangladesh it has become spectacularly evident that human factor like launch owner's indifference and greed, and the launch driver's incompetence and tendency to flout navigational rules have heightened the scale of tragedies. Reports from the survivors of the sunken launch M V Raipura near Aricha ghat reveal that Jalaluddin, master driver of the launch was not there in the launch on that fateful night and in his absence, his assistant was operating the launch. As dark clouds enveloped the sky and a violent storm was brewing up, passengers requested him to drop anchor at the nearest shore which was only 100 ft. away from the course of the launch. But he turned a deaf ear to their entreaties and went on his mission when the vessel went down in the mighty Jamuna.

Launch disasters are not anything new in this country, especially in the Chandpur and Barisal routes in the monsoon season. People still recall with shock and trepidation the painful memories of the M V Salahuddin-2 that was heading towards Patuakhali and sank in the river Meghna on May 3 in 2002 with about 400 passengers on board and this tragedy took a toll of about 363 lives. Hardly people could get over the shock and trauma of this tragedy, another launch disaster in the Baleshwar river near Mathbaria and Patharghata coast line claimed about 100 lives. With sophistication and innovation in vessel construction hard to come by, the riverine districts of the country weathered disaster one after another, and hundreds of people met watery death in the most shocking and painful manner. It's a black humour at its cruel best when some top echelon of the administration says what purpose does it serve to visit a disaster site where hundreds have died other than burying them? Sadly true, despite the fact that the country lurched from one catastrophe to another in the last five years, all these deaths and disasters could hardly sensitise the ruling party or jolt the administration to action. At about the same time in the next calendar year, M V Cyprus caught in a tropical storm sank in the Tetulia river near Bhola on march 15, 2003 with about 200 passengers on board and none could be found alive after the mishap. The problem isn't of resources, but the issue is one of leadership, motivation and political will and because these were appallingly missing, the country has been gripped by disasters one after another. M V Mitali sank in the river Buriganga on April 23 in 2003 and this disaster claimed 132 lives. M V Nasrin that sank in 2004 took a heavy toll of lives.

All these disasters which have almost become an annual event reinforce our belief that there is something awfully wrong in the whole system of administration in the country, especially in the inland water transportation sector. It is no use picturing this tragedy as an act of nature and taking refuge in the old saying that humans are simply pawns in the hand of nature. Ironically true, some 10000 people met watery graves in the last one decade while we frittered away our energy and money in grandiose projects that never saw the light of the day.

The ministry concerned has unmistakably failed to check the river fitness of the launches plying in the water ways of the southern part of the country that assume a monstrous shape especially in the monsoon season. Shockingly, the officials concerned of the inland water transportation sector have always closed their eyes to the carrying capacity of the vessels and the engine condition that must be compatible with the load. Whatever the cost factor, no launch should be allowed to cruise the mighty rivers like the Padma, Jamuna or Meghna without adequate number buoys tallying with number of passengers on board. Shockingly, rules are not strictly enforced and it has been reportedly learnt that navigational permits are given to launches in exchange of money. Sure enough, lax enforcement of rules and easy availability of certificates of fitness have taken death toll to such a shocking number, in the last one decade. Most important of all, there is a big question mark about the skill and experience of most of the drivers of about 8000 launches operating in the country and most of the accidents have occurred because of the total absence of training facilities for Sarengs.

With rescue work coming to a halt every time a launch meets a disaster, and programme for innovation and improvement plagued by familiar inefficiency and callousness, the shipping minister will need all the political and administrative acumen to extricate himself from the fall-out of the two recent disasters. He will have to dispel an impression that he is not the most suitable man for this exacting job. People wonder if he can do it if he has only one Munir Chaudhury at his disposal to run after the truant launch drivers and that also at Chittagong. The minister proudly claims that he is going to get a hefty budget of 300 crore taka instead of 29 crore taka traditional budget that will infuse new life-blood in the shipping sector, and reduce the time of cargo handling in the ship from three days to just one day.

But people's concern is otherwise. People want to know if he can work as a relentless crusader against sloth and corruption that bedevils the IWTA sector or he will be a man constantly willing to make compromises. It is worth noting here that in popular perception all these disasters during the last one decade are being blamed on the government's indulgence to unscrupulous vessel builders as well as Sareng's lack of skill and overriding non-chalance to navigational rules. In view of the colossal loss of human lives and alarming frequency of disasters, the government must without further delay enforce mandatory provision of marine and passenger insurance before floating a launch in the river. That measure when adopted will automatically discourage extra loading of passengers and unhealthy competition in the river routes.

True, mass tragedy is a part of Bangladesh life. Unfortunately as the scale of tragedies --both man-made and natural -- increased during the last five years, so did our apathy, both before and after accidents on the highways, fire incidents in the factories -- garments or otherwise -- and launch disasters in the river routes. They were mostly all preventable. Yet we never learned our lessons. In any case we were inured to the sight of human suffering and death and so cyclones, storms and floods diminished and devastated us in their power and fury. Sadly enough, the non-chalant administration was too busy living its life to be unduly bothered by the horrifying death tolls. The big question linger in people's mind if it was only a natural disaster or an accident due to human negligence. Undoubtedly true, safety norms for river navigation have been compromised.

Ever since the present shipping minister took office and launch disasters claimed hundreds of lives since 2001, he has been making noises about his intention of putting safer launches in the river routes, but with hundreds of people meeting watery grave with the onset of monsoon it is only natural to conclude that he has failed miserably in his job. Understandably most of launch owners of the country are high profile businessmen who hold substantial clout in the politics of the country. But in the corridors where politics is played, the shipping minister would rather not walk. It is reportedly learnt that the shipping minister has an ambitious plan of procuring salvage ships that are most modern and technically advanced. Evidently those ships would be needed after a vessel has sunk. But saving lives before the accident is crucial and must take precedence over anything else. People are inclined to believe that all these accidents have taken place because of shoddy construction and faulty design of vessel and corrupt practices resorted to and some of the vessels are so age-old that they mustn't have been there. The question that necessarily strikes public mind is: shouldn't someone be trying to punish the officials who closed their eyes to what was going on?

Md. Asadullah Khan is a former teacher of physics and Controller of Examinations, BUAT.