Severed pontoon disrupts travel, trade in Rangabali

Thousands of commuters and multiple businesses in Patuakhali’s Rangabali upazila have endured hardship for over a month after the Agunmukha river’s strong current severed a pontoon from the jetty at Koralia Launch Ghat, one of the upazila’s busiest river transport hubs.

With the pontoon still disconnected, passengers have been forced to board and disembark launches and trawlers using unsafe makeshift arrangements, increasing the risk of accidents. Women, children, and elderly passengers have been among the worst affected.

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According to locals, the jetty collapsed under the force of the river current during high tide on the night of June 10, causing the pontoon to break loose and drift away. The Bangladesh Inland Water Transport Authority (BIWTA) later recovered the pontoon and secured it near the ghat, but it has yet to reinstall it or provide a safe alternative boarding facility.

With the facility serving as a key river transport hub near the Agunmukha river’s seven-channel confluence, people have been forced to continue travelling and trading despite the lack of an alternative.

Mahamud Hasan, a resident

Md Bashir Payda, a co-lessee of Koralia Launch Ghat, said the jetty had long been in a vulnerable condition due to riverbed erosion, which weakened the spuds anchoring the pontoon and the jetty piles. Strong tidal pressure eventually caused the jetty to sink, detaching the pontoon.

Although the incident was reported immediately, the port authority has yet to restore the facility, he added.

Koralia Launch Ghat served two double-decker launches operating daily on the Dhaka route, passenger vessels on the Galachipa-Rangabali route, cargo vessels, and numerous boats serving Chalitabunia, Char Montaz and nearby areas. Since the pontoon became detached, both passenger movement and cargo transportation have been disrupted.

Rakibul Islam, who owns a trawler operating on the Koralia-Panpatti river route, said passengers have been boarding and disembarking without proper access to the ghat for nearly a month, significantly increasing the risk of accidents.

Mehedi Hasan Azad, a sanitaryware and hardware trader at Baherchar Bazar, said he receives goods from Dhaka by launch every week. Without the pontoon, unloading and transporting merchandise have become more difficult and costly, causing his business to suffer.

Mahamud Hasan, a resident near the launch ghat, said, “With the facility serving as a key river transport hub near the Agunmukha river’s seven-channel confluence, people have been forced to continue travelling and trading despite the lack of an alternative.”

Rangabali Upazila Nirbahi Officer Nirupam Majumdar said BIWTA had been requested to restore the pontoon as quickly as possible. According to the authority, repairs have been delayed due to technical complications involving the damaged infrastructure, but work will begin once those issues are resolved.

Md Zaki Shahariar, deputy director of Patuakhali River Port, said the pontoon is being kept near the launch ghat but cannot be reinstalled immediately because the site remains highly erosion-prone.

He added that BIWTA’s engineering division is working on a solution.

BIWTA Executive Engineer in Barishal Md Amzad Hossain said a cost estimate has already been prepared and sent to the higher authorities for approval. Once funds are allocated, the authority will invite tenders, appoint a contractor, and begin repairing the jetty and reinstalling the pontoon, a process likely to take a few months.