Drastic Fall In Water Level
Ferry services on Teesta, Jamuna routes hampered
This floating pontoon at Balashi ferry terminal on the Brahmaputra River in Gaibandha district is lying idle on the dried up riverbed as the navigable portion of the river has moved away due to drastic fall in water level during the dry season. Photo: STAR
Ferry service on different routes is badly disturbed as a large number of big shoals have emerged in the riverbeds due to drastic fall of water level in Teesta and Jamuna rivers in Gaibandha district during the dry season. More than 30 river routes connecting different districts including Jamalpur, Kurigram, Pabna, Sirajganj and Narayanganj remain navigable during the rains. But the number of navigable routes has come down to only 17 during the dry season, said sources at Balashi Railway Ghat. Closure of river routes hampers movement of people and transportation of different goods including food grains, jute, fertilisers and oil. “We are counting additional costs for carrying fertiliser either by road or rail from Jamuna Fertilizer Factory in Jamalpur,” said Abdul Latif Hakkani, president of fertilizer traders' association in Gaibandha. A floating oil depot set by Bangladesh Petroleum Corporation (BPC) at Balashi Ghat area for supplying diesel and kerosene in remote areas of the district, had to be shut four years ago as big oil tankers from Fatulla in Narayanganj could not reach there due to the navigability problems. “Oil transportation costs have increased following closure of the floating depot in the area. Now we have to carry diesel and kerosene with the help of tanker lorries from Baghabari oil depot,” said Shajada Anwarul Kadir, president of Gaibandha Petrol Pump Owners Association. Mostafa Zakir Hossain, marine superintendent at Balashi Railway Ghat, said the railway wagon ferry services between Balashi and Bahadurabad ghats have remained closed since November last year due to sharp decline in water level. "A passenger ferry pontoon at Balashi ghat is now staying on sandy land on the dried up riverbed and so, people have to pass a long way on foot to catch ferryboats in the middle of the river. The services will resume in the rainy season but it will continue only for four months,” he added. Students living in char areas are also facing problem to attend their classes boats cannot ply the dried up rivers during this period. “I have to attend my classes at Rasulpur High School by walking about 10 kilometres,” said Rafiqul Islam, a student living at Kunderpara Char in Gaibandha district. Talking to this correspondent, several boatmen in the area said they are facing hardship during this season. “As boats require travelling longer distances to reach destinations, more fuel is used, leading to additional cost,” said Nayeb Ali, a boatman at Balashi ghat. Irrigation on vast areas of croplands, especially in Rangpur and Nilphamari districts, is also seriously hampered due to low water level in the rivers. Navigability in the rivers begins to decrease early November every year as tributaries and branches almost dry up, said sources at Water Development Board in Gaibandha. "There is no alternative to extensive dredging of the Jamuna and its tributaries to keep the river routes navigable round the year. It is also needed to save vast areas of croplands and homesteads from flooding during he rainy season," Rezaul Mostafa Ashfuddowla, executive engineer of the WDB in Gaibandha, said, However, the process would be too costly as the riverbeds see massive siltation with huge sand from the upstream every year, he added. Locals are cultivating boro paddy, maize and chilly on the chars (sandy lands) emerged from the tributaries and branches of Teesta and Jamuna rivers while many fishing boats are staying idle in dried up riverbed, said Abu Sayeed Sarker, chairman of Fulchhari upazila parishad.
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