Pontoon underwater ferry services were disrupted at Aricha and Kazirhat

Shahjahan Biswas, Manikganj: Two ferry pontoons at Aricha and Kazirhat are under water due to sudden rise in the river. Two ghats are closed under water. The ferry service on Aricha-Kazirhat and Paturia-Daulatdia routes is being disrupted. More than 600 vehicles are waiting for the ferry crossing at these ghats. According to BIWTC's Aricha Regional Office, the water level in the Padma-Jamuna has been rising rapidly for the past three days due to the downpour from the upper reaches. There are three ferries plying the Aricha-Kazirhat route. There are two ghats on each side. One of the ghats is in operation on both the sides. The ferry load-unloading is being severely hampered due to submergence of the other two ghats on both sides. Long queues have been seen. We have to wait for hours at Aricha Ghat to cross the ferry. Meanwhile, due to rising water, the ferry service on the Paturia-Daulatdia route is being disrupted. The pontoons have to be shifted again and again. As a result, ferry loading and unloading is stopped from time to time. As a result, more than 600 vehicles are waiting for the ferry crossing on both sides. Truck driver Shamim said he arrived at Aricha Ghat at 12:30 pm on Thursday and could not cross the ferry at 12 noon on Friday. Microbus driver Abdul Alim said he would go to Ishwardi in Pabna. After crossing the ferry, he reached Aricha Ghat at 8 am on Friday. BIWTA's Deputy Assistant Engineer Md. Shahidul Islam said, the water level in the river is increasing abnormally. But we have built ghats. Now only the pontoons have to be removed from the low-water label and transferred to the mid-water label. BWTC will do the job. Abu Abdullah, BIWTC's manager of Aricha Ghat, said that there are four ghats each in Aricha-Kazirhat. The pontoons of four ghats have been submerged in water. He said ferry services have been resumed through the two ghats. He said there would be no problem if the pontoons could be upgraded from low-water level to mid-water level at the rate of rising water.