Commuters on the Mawa-Kawrakandi waterway are facing endless woes as poor navigation of the Padma River, high discharges and a corresponding increase in sediment load have severely affected movements in the channel.
Underwater shoals and strong currents forced the Mawa-Kawrakandi Ghat authorities to limit the number of ferries plying the route.
An official of Bangladesh Inland Water Transport Corporation (BIWTC) seeking anonymity, said due to irregular dredging, a huge number of underwater shoals have formed in the channels of the ferry routes between Mawa and Kawrakandi. Vehicles are becoming stranded on a regular basis.
“Day by day the situation is getting worse,” he said.
The BIWTC official said the strong current in the Padma is also hampering ferry movement.
“Because of it, the ferries struggle to maintain course and are easily getting stuck on the shoals,” he said.
From August 25, BIWTC authority has been repeatedly forced to shut down ferry service, which are taking much longer than usual to cross the river.
It would usually take 1.5 hours to travel between Mawa and Kawrakandi, however, now it is taking around 4.5 hours. Due to the slow movement, hundreds of vehicles on both sides of the river are getting stranded.
The route on Wednesday experienced the same disruption as there was only a partial service of ferries, leaving a long tailback of vehicles on both sides of the river.
BIWTC Chairman Mojibur Rahman said they were yet to receive detailed information on the situation from their field officials at Mawa and Kawrakandi.
Ashikuzzaman, assistant general manager of BIWTC for Mawa-Kawrakandi ferry service said: “Ferries cannot navigate at normal speed due to the high discharge of Padma.”
Ashikuzzaman said because of the dredging at Lauhajang channel, discharge of water has risen at the point.
