Launch fire: Years of unaddressed safety risks haunt waterways
Shipping authorities are dealing with the threat of fire accident seriously, says BIWTA Chairman
Friday's devastating blaze on the "overcrowded" MV Obhijan 10 now adds to recurring incidents of ferry capsize, thanks to an apparent culture of impunity to those responsible for such waterway casualties.
The fire killed at least 40 people and injured several others who boarded the passenger vessel.
Vessel capsize has been a regular affair on almost all water routes connecting the southern part of the country to the capital.
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Over the last 15 years, 1,822 people were killed and 419 injured, and 864 are still missing in 576 incidents occurred in the country's waterways, according to a report published by the Accident Research Institute (ARI) of Buet in April this year.
According to data published by a voluntary organisation, Save the Road, on Friday, in 2021 alone, 188 people died in 712 waterway incidents till 23 December.
A Jatri Kalyan Samity report showed that in 2020, at least 313 lost their lives in such casualties.
In most incidents, vessels capsized because of unskilled crew members and unfit vehicles. Inadequate safety measures is another reason for the high death count.
Talking to The Business Standard, Bangladesh Inland Water Transport Authority (BIWTA) Chairman Commodore Golam Sadeq said the authorities regularly impart training to vessel crew members to prevent accidents.
"We take measures to prevent all kinds of accidents," he said.
According to a 2021 report published by BIWTC, 387 ships have capsized over the last 11 years.
Nevertheless, justice has hardly been served to the victims owing to the lack of enforcement of related laws.
Sadeq commented that the waterways authorities investigate each accident and take legal actions.
Bangladesh at the moment has only one marine court where the Inland Shipping Ordinance-1976 is followed to resolve shipping and related offences.
According to this law, the maximum punishment for those responsible for a vessel accident is five years of imprisonment and a fine of up to Tk10,000.
Friday's fire is thought to have started in the engine room, spreading rapidly, and the launch's safety measures may have had little effect.
Regarding the issue, BIWTA chairman said the launch had proper fire safety equipment at its disposal.
"However, they were not used for the crew's ignorance," he told TBS.
The passengers perished on Sugandha river of Jhalakathi district early Friday while the launch was going to Barguna from Dhaka.
It was reportedly carrying about 1,000 passengers.
Upon receiving information around 3:28 am, fifteen fire service teams reached the spot around 3:50 am. After two hours of frantic efforts, they put out the blaze around 5:20am.
Initial rescue efforts were hampered due to heavy fog, the fire service official said. Many passengers also went missing after the incident.
Surviving passengers said the fire broke out from the canteen and engine room.
Many died from smoke and gas that originated following the fire.
The passengers alleged it was not possible to control the fire due to an inadequate firefighting system. A staff member at the launch also acknowledged the issue.
Meanwhile, the ill-fated vessel has been brought to the shore.
Regarding the monitoring of BIWTA, Golam Sadeq further said, "We always check if there are enough lifebuoys on the launches. But passengers or crew cannot use them properly in times of emergency."
He also noted the shipping authorities are dealing with the threat of fire accident seriously.
"Adequate training will be given to the shipping staff so that such accidents do not happen again in future," he added.
