Ferry services on the Aricha-Kazirhat route have been suspended due to poor navigability, leaving 300 goods-laden vehicles stranded on the river.
Nasir Mohammad Chowdhury, Deputy General Manager of Bangladesh Inland Water Transport Corporation (BIWTC) at the Aricha point confirmed the matter on Saturday noon.
He said due to the navigability crisis, ferries had been getting stuck on submerged shoals near the Aricha ghat for the past few days. As a result, the ferries were operating with only half their capacity.
Meanwhile, the channel became even narrower as the water level continued to decrease. This made ferry operations not only risky but also increased the inconvenience due to the ferries repeatedly getting stuck on submerged shoals, he added.
Nasir Mohammad Chowdhury said several ferries were stuck on hidden shoals on Friday due to the poor navigability in the Padma River, forcing the authorities to halt ferry services multiple times.
Finally, ferry services on the Aricha-Kazirhat route were suspended at 10 pm on Friday after a ferry got stuck on a hidden shoal in a remote area near Aricha, he said.
A total of 300 goods-laden vehicles were stranded on both the Padma River due to the suspension of ferry services.
The Bangladesh Inland Water Transport Authority (BIWTA) started dredging work, and ferry services will resume once the work is completed.
However, Nasir Mohammad Chowdhury could not specify how long it might take for ferry operations to resume.
