Silt accumulates in every waterway, but in shallow ones even a small build-up is enough to block boat access and increase flood risk. In Bangladesh, the problem is extreme – the rivers carry massive sediment loads from the Himalayas year-round, filling waterways that are often already shallow.
In the wet season, the country has around 6,000 kilometers of navigable waterways. In the dry season, only 3,800 remain. Also, floods affect millions of people in the country every year.

