In a significant step towards improving water transport management, an awareness seminar was held today in Rajshahi to promote the country's first-ever watercraft census. The census, set to be conducted from August 20 to 29, aims to create an integrated and accurate database of all engine-driven watercraft operating in Bangladesh's maritime, coastal, and inland waters.
Objectives and Scope
Organized by the Divisional Statistics Office, the seminar was attended by key officials, including Divisional Commissioner Dr. ANM Bazlur Rashid, Professor Dr. Md. Mansur Rahman, and Mohammad Billal Hossain. The census, initiated by the Ministry of Shipping and implemented by the Bangladesh Bureau of Statistics, seeks to collect detailed information on all engine-driven watercraft to facilitate development planning, policy-making, research, and management activities in the water transport sector.
However, watercraft operated under the Armed Forces' own management and non-motorized ordinary boats will be excluded from this census. The seminar informed that a pilot operation will be conducted in two districts on August 3 and 4 to test the census questionnaire and data collection method before the main census. In Rajshahi Division, 23,587 engine-driven watercraft have been identified, with 13,650 being ghat-based and 9,937 household-based.
Importance and Future Implications
Dr. Bazlur Rashid emphasized that the primary goal of the census is not merely to count watercraft but to create an accurate and usable database. He highlighted the importance of such data in making informed decisions for water transport management, safety, policy-making, and improving government services. The success of the census, he noted, depends on the effective utilization of the collected information.
The seminar called for sincere cooperation from government and private institutions, watercraft owners, stakeholders, and the general public to ensure the successful implementation of Watercraft Census 2026. Additional Divisional Commissioners, heads of various government departments, and persons associated with watercraft participated in the seminar, along with virtual attendance from Additional Deputy Commissioners and Deputy Directors of District Statistics Offices across Rajshahi Division.
