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Institutions
Bank Watch: scheduled banks tracked on stability metrics.
Parliament Watch: members and their activity.
University Watch: the higher-education system, tracked.
NGO Watch: civil society and development NGOs, tracked.
Development Partner Watch: the donors, tracked.
Industry Association Watch: the apex chambers, tracked.
Early warning
The Crisis Orb: a live, level-anchored hazard board.
The LDC 2029 graduation monitor.
The national early-warning board across hazards.
Early warning for the haor flood basin.
The multi-hazard exposure atlas, by district.
Where hazards compound across the same places.
A priority index ranking places by combined risk.
Cropland exposed to flood, heat, and salinity.
The bank distress watch: stress signals across banks.
The disaster ledger: events and losses over time.
Government Watch
department
The authority is balancing critical infrastructure maintenance with government austerity directives amid public scrutiny over project expenditures.
State Minister for Shipping inspected ghats and emphasized passenger safety instructions.
BIWTA Member Sajedur Rahman inspected the Sultanganj River Port in Rajshahi.
Officials announced the reopening of Sultanganj River Port after a two-year closure.
BIWTA Chairman Md. Muhidul Islam inspected infrastructure projects at Narayanganj River Port.
BIWTA faced criticism for proposing Tk 8.4 million in lavish spending for a pontoon-repair project.
BIWTA was established on October 31, 1958, under the East Pakistan Inland Water Transport Authority Ordinance, No. LXXV of 1958; the ordinance was amended in 1997 and continues in force under Bangladesh law. Headquarters: BIWTA Bhaban, Motijheel, Dhaka. BIWTA manages 22 inland ports and approximately 800 launch ghats, including Sadarghat (Dhaka River Port), the busiest inland passenger terminal in Bangladesh and among the busiest in the world. The authority oversees approximately 24,000 km of waterways with navigability maintained on a seasonal basis. Chairman Rear Admiral Arif Ahmed Mostafa (promoted to Rear Admiral rank) took office on March 6, 2023; no primary source confirms his replacement under the BNP government sworn in February 17, 2026 -- head_since date reflects the 2023 appointment date and current_head reflects the last verified officeholder. The chairman position was upgraded to Grade 1 (equivalent to Rear Admiral) on December 2, 2025. staff_count omitted: no primary source gives a verified sanctioned post count for BIWTA as a standalone figure. annual_budget_bdt omitted: BIWTA's budget is embedded within ADP project allocations under the Ministry of Shipping and is not disclosed as a standalone operating budget in accessible public documents. Daulatdia tragedy: death toll in secondary sources varies from 18 to 26; the TBS sourced figure of 26 confirmed bodies handed to families is used here as it is based on the probe body's field report. The 2026 monsoon enforcement window (March 15 to October 15) on the Meghna danger zone is a recurring annual operational order, not a new 2026 directive. Verification: 2+ primary sources cross-checked for all key claims.