BHOLA, July 7, (v7n) – Adverse weather disrupted river transport in the island district of Bhola today as a low-pressure system over the Bay of Bengal triggered heavy rainfall, strong winds, and rough river conditions.
The sky remained overcast throughout the day, with intermittent light to heavy rainfall across the district. The Bangladesh Inland Water Transport Authority (BIWTA) suspended passenger launch services on five internal river routes, including the Bhola-Monpura-Hakimuddin route, following the hoisting of Local Warning Signal No. 3 at seaports and Signal No. 1 at river ports.
Bhola Meteorological Office recorded 53.5 millimetres of rainfall over the past 24 hours, said Meteorological Officer Md Mahabubur Rahman. Launch operations and fishing boat movement on the Meghna River were disrupted due to high tides and turbulent conditions, with fishermen in the Bay of Bengal and adjoining rivers also staying off the waters.
Executive Engineer of the Bhola Water Development Board Md Hasanuzzaman told BSS that the Meghna River at Tazumuddin upazila was flowing 72 centimetres above the danger level.
Assistant Director of BIWTA's Bhola River Port Nirmal Kumar Roy said launch services on five internal routes, including the Monpura-Hakimuddin route, would remain suspended until weather conditions improve. However, ferry and launch services on the Ilisha-Lakshmipur-Dhaka route were operating normally, he added.
Moderate to heavy rainfall accompanied by gusty winds continued to sweep across the district till the filing of this report at around 4:15 pm.
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