Bangladesh Inland Water Transport Authority (BIWTA) on Saturday suspended launch services on Daulatdia-Paturia and Aricha-Kazirhat routes as Cyclone Mocha approaches the coast. Traffic Inspector at the Ghat, Aftab Hossain, said launch services remained suspended from Saturday morning. The order will remain in force until further notice. Also Read: Cyclone Mocha: Launch services on Chandpur route suspended According to the latest weather bulletin, the very severe cyclonic storm Mocha over east central Bay and the adjoining area is likely to intensify further, move in a north-northwesterly direction and cross Cox’s Bazar-North Myanmar coast by 6 pm on Sunday (May 14).    

Ferry Services on Daulatdia-Paturia and Aricha-Kazirhat routes in the Padma River resumed on Wednesday morning after six hours of suspension due to poor visibility caused by dense fog. Ferry services on Daulatdia-Paturia route was suspended around 5:30 am due to poor visibility caused by dense fog, said Aricha office of Bangladesh Inland Water Transport Corporation (BIWTC). Ro Ro ferry ‘Bhasha Shaheed Barkat, Shaha Jalal, Enayetpuri and Utility Hasna Hena in Daulatdia and Ro Ro ferry Keramat Ali, Shah Makhdum, Birsreshestha Matiur Rahman, Khanjahan Ali, Utility Chandra Mallika and K-type Ferry Cumilla remained anchored at the Daulatdia and Paturia ferry ghats One ferry got stuck in the middle of the river. The ferry services on Daulatdia-Paturia resumed around 11:30 am after the disappearance of fog. Also read: Ferry services on Daulatdia-Paturia, Aricha-Kazirhat routes resume Meanwhile, the ferry services on Aricha-Kazirhat route suspended around 4:30 am due to dense fog, causing immense sufferings to the passengers. The ferry services on the route resumed around 10:45 am, after nearly six and half an hours of disruption.  

Ferry service on Daulatdia-Paturia and Aricha-Kazirhat route resumed after remaining suspended for more than two hours since early Monday due to poor visibility caused by thick fog. As thick fog started appearing on the river basin of these two routes from midnight and it turned heavier with time the authorities decided to suspend all ferry services, according to Aricha office of Bangladesh Inland Water Transport Authority (BIWTA). Ferry service remained suspended from 6am till 8:30 am on Rajbari-Daulatdia and Manikganj-Paturia routes, while it remained suspended on Aricha-Kazirhat route from 5 am till 8:30 am. Apart from ferries the authority also suspended the movement of all types of water transports to avoid accidents. Total 16 large and small ferries remained anchored at Daulatdia, Paturia  and Aricha-Kazirhat terminals and of them two were forced to anchor in mid river. Ro-ro ferry Shah Makhdum and Utility Madhabilata that move on Daulatdia-Paturia route remained stranded with at least 30 vehicles and 200 passengers in mid river due to fog, causing an immense trouble to the stranded passengers at terminals and in mid river amid the cold. Najrul Islam, a private office worker, said he started on motorcycle for Rajbari from Savar early morning but had to wait for more than two hours amid  cold at the terminal. “The ferry services were disrupted as the risk of accidents amid thick fog became apparent this morning. Two ferries leaving for terminals of Daulatdia-Paturia waterway lost direction after reaching the mid river in  the heavy fog. Both ferries were asked to anchor immediately,” said  Shah Md. Khaled Nawaz, deputy general manager (Commercial) of BIWTC at Aricha point. However all ferry services resumed after 8:30 am as the fog got cleared, he said.  

Commuters waiting to cross the Padma river had a harrowing time Sunday morning, with the authorities suspending ferry services on the Daulatdia-Paturia route due to dense fog. Md Salah Uddin, manager of Bangladesh Inland Water Transport Corporation (BIWTC) at Daulatdia point, said the ferry services remained halted from 6 am owing to poor visibility. Read more: Erosion disrupts ferry service in Daulatdia Three ferries remained stranded in the middle of the Padma and operation of 10 more ferries were cancelled on the route, he said. Sohel Molla, who has been waiting at the ferry terminal to go to Dhaka by an ambulance from Faridpur, said, “My brother suffered a stroke on Saturday night and was admitted to Faridpur Heart Foundation Hospital. After the initial treatment, the doctor referred him to Dhaka. We came at the ferry terminal around 6 am and got stuck here due to the ferry suspension following dense fog.” Read more: Ferry gets stuck in Meghna shoal, passengers rescued At Daulatdia point, all vehicles, including long-haul buses, were seen moving slowly with their headlights on Dhaka-Khulna highway due to the dense fog. Several vehicles also got stuck on both sides of the river due to the suspension of the ferry services, Salah Uddin said. ‘’The services will resume once visibility improves," he added.

Amid mad rush of homebound people ahead of Eid-ul-Fitr, five people died in stampede and heatstroke at Banglabazar ferry terminal on Wednesday. Banglabazar Traffic Police Inspector Ashikur Rahman said a teenage boy was killed in a stampede while getting off Shah Paran ferry. The deceased was identified as Anchur,15, son of Giasuddin Madbor of Noria upazila of Shariatpur. Also read: Covid-19 claims 40 more lives, infects 1,144 others Four others died due to heatstroke and stampede while boarding off Enayetpuri ferry at the same terminal, he said. Sources said that lakhs of people have crossed the Padma River on ferries since morning. All the 17 ferries are operating to cater to the mad rush of homebound people. Some 800 vehicles and 10,000 people have crossed the river till Wednesday noon, officials said. Also read: BGB deployed on Paturia-Daulatdia, Shimulia-Banglabazar routes Authorities, meanwhile, claimed that people will not face any difficulties in crossing rivers as ferry services are available. The UNB correspondent found hundreds of people reaching the Daulatdia-Paturia ghat in the afternoon on foot, in rickshaws and other vehicles, defying all the lockdown norms. Police have installed a number of check-posts on the highway, including Barbaria, Singair and Dhalla areas. Though the cops forced many vehicles coming from other districts to return, passengers were quick to get off the vehicles and head towards the ferry ghat on foot. Also read: Mad rush of homebound people at Paturia terminal Ferry services on Paturia-Daulatdia and Shimulia-Banglabazar routes were suspended to curb the spread of Covid-19. Bangladesh Inland Water Transport Corporation (BIWTC) said the decision to suspend ferry services on the two busy water routes, with effect from Saturday morning, was taken in the wake of the ongoing second wave of coronavirus. But the mad rush of homebound people forced them to resume the ferry services.

Ferry operation on Shimulia-Kathalbari route in Munshiganj has been suspended due to erosion threat amid strong current in the Padma River.

Ferry services on the key Daulatdia-Paturia route resumed on early Saturday after five hours of disruption due to dense fog.

The ferry services on Daulatdia-Paturia route resumed early Friday after seven hours of disruption caused by dense fog.