Dhaka's strategic riverine location in Bengal made it a hub for Eurasian traders, including the Portuguese, French, Dutch, British and Armenians.

[5] Bengali aristocrats built numerous palaces and mansions on the riverfront, including Ahsan Manzil and Ruplal House.

The scheme, designed to be implemented by public subscription, also included construction of a promenade behind the bund to beautify the waterfront.

Despite considerable success in collecting subscriptions from the wealthy people of Dhaka, the funds generated proved insufficient for the project.

Initially, the embankment on the riverfront from near the northbrook hall Ghat to Wiseghat was undertaken with provision for extensions eastward and westward upon availability of more funds.

Near Sadarghat, part of the strand was left green, and was later turned into a miniature park with a raised dais where visiting dignitaries could be received on landing from steamers and where a local regimental band played daily in the afternoon for the entertainment of the people.

Large vessels can no longer use it because of shoaling up of the river bed entry and an overall downsizing of the capacity of the inland waterways.

The Port of Pangaon is an inland container terminal with an annual capacity to handle 116,000 twenty-foot equivalent units of cargo.

Bangladesh has signed coastal shipping agreements with Thailand and China, which are planned to cover the Pangaon terminal.