Silting of river bed disrupts ferry services at Shimulia

The accumulation of silt on a little bend of the Padma at the Louhajang channel has disrupted ferry services, particularly the RO-RO ferries, between Kewrakandi and Shimulia terminals, over the past three days.
Some 200 heavy vehicles are stranded on both sides of the river. However, a skeleton service using smaller boats is operational.
“The situation has become so serious that we may not be able to run even the skeleton service for another couple of days as these boats would not be able to negotiate the bend,” an official of Bangladesh Inland Water Transport Corporation (BIWTC) told The Independent yesterday.
“Everything now depends on the BIWTA dredgers to clear the channel for all kinds of ferry boats, including the RO-RO boats,” a source said.
“We have sent an SOS to the authorities to send two boats from Paturia and Chandpur,” he said, adding that the relief boats are expected soon.
Meanwhile, the Padma Multipurpose Bridge Authority (PMBA), in a statement yesterday, said the Sino Hydro Corporation Ltd. (SCL), the bridge contractor, had lent three dredgers, which it had engaged in river training, to dredge around 60 million cubic feet of spoils, while giving up its own work.

 

Silting of river bed disrupts ferry services at Shimulia

The accumulation of silt on a little bend of the Padma at the Louhajang channel has disrupted ferry services, particularly the RO-RO ferries, between Kewrakandi and Shimulia terminals, over the past three days. Some 200 heavy vehicles are stranded on both sides of the river. However, a skeleton service using smaller boats is operational. The situation has become so serious that we may not be able to run even the skeleton service for another couple of days as these boats would not be able to negotiate the bend, an official of Bangladesh Inland Water Transport Corporation (BIWTC) told The Independent yesterday. Everything now depends on the BIWTA dredgers to clear the channel for all kinds of ferry boats, including the RO-RO boats, a source said. We have sent an SOS to the authorities to send two boats from Paturia and Chandpur, he said, adding that the relief boats are expected soon. Meanwhile, the Padma Multipurpose Bridge Authority (PMBA), in a statement yesterday, said the Sino Hydro Corporation Ltd. (SCL), the bridge contractor, had lent three dredgers, which it had engaged in river training, to dredge around 60 million cubic feet of spoils, while giving up its own work.