30 cargo vessels stranded

Movement of cargo vessels at Baghabari port has been seriously hampered for 10 days due to poor navigability in the Jamuna river.

More than 30 vessels, including seven fuel-laden ones, remained stranded at different major points of the river.

Sources said unplanned dredging is causing the continuous navigability crises in those points.

Due to the poor navigability, vessel movement at Char Shibaloy, Char Safuria, Char Rafsha, New-Vatiapara, Koitola, Awalbandh, Nakalia, Panchakola, Char-Panchakola, Maladapara, Mohonganj, Andharmanik, Dhulchar, Mollar Char and Ramkrishnapur points of the river has been seriously disrupted in recent time.

Although it's a common scenario during this time of the year, this year the situation is more critical as an additional one kilometre river route near Nagarbari point is affected with the navigability crisis, Assistant Director (AD) of Bagahbari port Md Sazzadur Rahman said over phone.

“Due to massive navigability problem, movement of fertilizer and fuel-laden vessels at Baghabari port remained stopped since last Saturday,” the AD said, adding that at least 30 cargo vessels were stuck at Nagarbari point of the river in the last couple of days.

AKM Jahid Sarwar, deputy manager of Jamuna Oil depot at Baghabari port, said a couple of fuel-laden vessels remained stranded at Nagarbari point of the river in the last 10 days.

If the situation continues, supply of diesel and other fuel from Sirajganj's Baghabari depot might come to a halt as the depot has a capacity to stock fuel for only 15 days, Jahid added.

“Dredging work at Nagarbari point has been running with a single machine for last few weeks, which is really not enough,” Sazzadur said, adding that another dredging machine will be added there very soon.