Long tailback of Dhaka bound vehicles at Daulatdia terminal

Sandbar disrupts Shimulia-Kathalbari ferry services

More than 200 vehicles, waiting to be ferried across the Padma from the Daulatdia ferry terminal, have created a four-km-long tailback of Dhaka-bound vehicles carrying passengers returning to work after Eid-ul-Azha holidays. People had faced similar hassles on their way home to celebrate Eid-ul-Azha due to the lack of ferry boats to cross the wide river.

Old vessels, which find it difficult to negotiate the fast currents of the Padma, also made the journey difficult for passengers returning to Dhaka. Those who arrived at the Daulatdia terminal on Monday night crossed the river yesterday, after being stranded for 24 hours in long rows of vehicles.

The trouble was the same for  bus drivers and their helpers, who were unable to move.

Trucks carrying perishables, especially vegetables for the markets of the capital, were held up on their way to city markets.

The trouble was mainly due to the non-availability of full-strength ferry boats on this route. Among the total number of 18 boats, only 17 were in operation. The fleet comprising mostly old vessels is facing mechanical issues  while negotiating the swift currents of the Padma, ferry operators and BIWTC sources said.

As a result, some of the vessels were forced to spend some time at the floating service centre at the Paturia terminal, thus going out of service for a while and putting a heavy pressure on efforts to cope with the heavy rush of returning traffic to Dhaka.

Besides, the boats were unable to move full-steam through the fast currents, BIWTC official Shafiqul Islam told reporters.

Two more boats are to join the fleet of ferry boats today to ease the situation, the official said.

The ferry service on the Shimulia-Kathalbari route was disrupted as a sandbar has formed at Lowhajang turning point on the Padma. It will take at least a couple of more days for the ferry services to become normal.

The Bangladesh Inland Water Transport Authority (BIWTA) has deployed eight dredgers to clear the sandbar. Two more dredgers will be pressed into service today.

Meanwhile, ferries that have been stranded at different points of the Padma as a result of heavy siltation were freed through dredging.

“Ferry services will become normal within two days as the BIWTA is creating a bypass for the ferry route. It will take one week to fully normalise the ferry services,” the BIWTA’s superintendent engineer Saidur Rahman told The Independent yesterday.  The sandbar has a length of 4km and a width of 1,500ft, he disclosed.

“We have to remove 32 lakh cubic metres of silt to clear the ferry route. The ferry channel is filled because of heavy siltation when the river was in spate, flooding its low-lying areas downstream,” Rahman said.

He also said shoals are developing frequently because of piling work going on for the Padma Multipurpose Bridge. “The free flow of water is also being interrupted due to the construction work,” he added.

Terming the ferry service disruption caused by the sandbar “a natural disaster”, Rahman said the depth of water was 12ft on August 30, but suddenly fell to seven feet on August 31.

Six dredgers of the BIWTA and two big dredgers of the Bangladesh Navy are now dredging the channel, he added.

 

Long tailback of Dhaka bound vehicles at Daulatdia terminal

Sandbar disrupts Shimulia-Kathalbari ferry services

More than 200 vehicles, waiting to be ferried across the Padma from the Daulatdia ferry terminal, have created a four-km-long tailback of Dhaka-bound vehicles carrying passengers returning to work after Eid-ul-Azha holidays. People had faced similar hassles on their way home to celebrate Eid-ul-Azha due to the lack of ferry boats to cross the wide river. Old vessels, which find it difficult to negotiate the fast currents of the Padma, also made the journey difficult for passengers returning to Dhaka. Those who arrived at the Daulatdia terminal on Monday night crossed the river yesterday, after being stranded for 24 hours in long rows of vehicles. The trouble was the same for bus drivers and their helpers, who were unable to move. Trucks carrying perishables, especially vegetables for the markets of the capital, were held up on their way to city markets. The trouble was mainly due to the non-availability of full-strength ferry boats on this route. Among the total number of 18 boats, only 17 were in operation. The fleet comprising mostly old vessels is facing mechanical issues while negotiating the swift currents of the Padma, ferry operators and BIWTC sources said. As a result, some of the vessels were forced to spend some time at the floating service centre at the Paturia terminal, thus going out of service for a while and putting a heavy pressure on efforts to cope with the heavy rush of returning traffic to Dhaka. Besides, the boats were unable to move full-steam through the fast currents, BIWTC official Shafiqul Islam told reporters. Two more boats are to join the fleet of ferry boats today to ease the situation, the official said. The ferry service on the Shimulia-Kathalbari route was disrupted as a sandbar has formed at Lowhajang turning point on the Padma. It will take at least a couple of more days for the ferry services to become normal. The Bangladesh Inland Water Transport Authority (BIWTA) has deployed eight dredgers to clear the sandbar. Two more dredgers will be pressed into service today. Meanwhile, ferries that have been stranded at different points of the Padma as a result of heavy siltation were freed through dredging. Ferry services will become normal within two days as the BIWTA is creating a bypass for the ferry route. It will take one week to fully normalise the ferry services, the BIWTAs superintendent engineer Saidur Rahman told The Independent yesterday. The sandbar has a length of 4km and a width of 1,500ft, he disclosed. We have to remove 32 lakh cubic metres of silt to clear the ferry route. The ferry channel is filled because of heavy siltation when the river was in spate, flooding its low-lying areas downstream, Rahman said. He also said shoals are developing frequently because of piling work going on for the Padma Multipurpose Bridge. The free flow of water is also being interrupted due to the construction work, he added. Terming the ferry service disruption caused by the sandbar a natural disaster, Rahman said the depth of water was 12ft on August 30, but suddenly fell to seven feet on August 31. Six dredgers of the BIWTA and two big dredgers of the Bangladesh Navy are now dredging the channel, he added.