Brisk business in boats in Moulvibazar

When rain deluges the haor wetlands of Moulvibazar, boats become for many the only practical  transport option. Unsurprisingly, while the monsoon lasts local boat builders are busy. They work morning until midnight, with orders aplenty and profits healthy. Peak business for boat builders usually lasts from around April to mid-October.

“At the moment there's lots of water in the haor,” says one boat builder, Sajjad Ahmad, 35, from Rajnagar upazila's Nawangaon village, which is within the area of Kawadighi Haor. “People can hardly leave their homes without boats at this time of the year. Boat building is a family tradition for me. I've been doing it for almost twenty years. Currently I have five orders on hand, which is good because during the dry season boat builders are unemployed.”

Sajjad says it takes twelve days to construct a standard boat, built with the help of two assistants.

Such a boat might sell for around Tk 10,000. “To make an 18-foot long boat,” he adds, “with the cost of wood and iron it will need upwards of Tk 25,000.”

Another boat builder, Lal Mia from the Gourisankar area of Kulaura upazila observes that the cost of a boat for the customer will depend on design and size. “People want quality boats,” he says, “but quality wood for a boat will cost between Tk 10,000 and Tk 45,000, and quality wood is hard to find.”

“It's only during the monsoon months that we have an income,” says Monsur Helal, a boat builder based in Bhularkandi of Barlekha upazila, within the area of Hakaluki Haor. “But we have to run our families throughout the year. Even though business is good now, it's difficult to make enough savings to really make a difference to our living standard.”

Meanwhile, Sobhan Hossain from Kadipur area in Kulaura upazila has just bought a boat.

“Water transport is the only means by which we can reach Kulaura town,” he says. “I purchased a boat for Tk 15,000, which is more than it cost in previous years; but I think the quality of this one is good. I will use it to ferry passengers around the haor.”