Suspension of Services on Ten Routes in Bhola
In Bangladesh, the Bangladesh Inland Water Transport Authority (BIWTA) has temporarily suspended launch services on 10 internal river routes in the Bhola district due to rough conditions caused by a low-pressure area in the Bay of Bengal[1]. The suspension was confirmed by Bhola River Port Traffic Officer Jasim Uddin and was announced on the BIWTA's website.
However, it's important to note that this suspension does not affect all river routes in Bangladesh. Launch services on Bhola Sadar's Kheyaghat-Dhaka, Ilisha-Dhaka, Borhanuddin-Dhaka, Lalmohan-Dhaka, Ghosher Hat-Dhaka, and Vheduria-Barishal are operating as usual[2].
In Barishal, launch services on internal river routes were also suspended due to rough weather conditions caused by a low-pressure system over the northwest Bay of Bengal as of August 22, 2025[3].
It's worth mentioning that a cautionary signal no 3 was issued for all seaports before the suspension[4]. However, the statement does not specify which website's Google news channel to follow for updates.
Interestingly, launch services between Paturia and Daulatdia were suspended due to structural issues like soil erosion beneath the pontoon, although this reason is unrelated to the low-pressure system[5].
As of August 1, 2022, the suspension affected the routes Ilisha-Laxmipur's Moju Chowdhury, Char Fasson-Dhaka, Hatia-Dhaka, Hatia-Char Fasson, Manpura-Dhaka, Tazumuddin-Manpura, and Daulatkhan-Alexandar[6]. However, as of August 1, 2025, the status of these routes is not clear in the provided information.
The statement does not confirm whether the suspension is temporary or not. However, given the weather-related cause, it is reasonable to assume that services may resume once conditions improve. The statement was made by the Bhola River Port Traffic Officer and was made at the time of filing this report.
[1] https://www.newsbangladesh.org/article/181242 [2] https://www.thedailystar.net/city/news/launch-services-resumed-on-key-routes-in-bhola-1967917 [3] https://www.newsbangladesh.org/article/181318 [4] https://www.prothomalo.com/news/1935781/Cautionary-signal-No-3-issued-for-all-seaports-in-the-country [5] https://www.newsbangladesh.org/article/181330 [6] https://www.newsbangladesh.org/article/181318
Despite the temporary suspension of launch services on several internal river routes in Bhola and Barishal districts due to rough weather conditions caused by a low-pressure area, regular services continue on some routes such as Bhola Sadar's Kheyaghat-Dhaka, Ilisha-Dhaka, and Vheduria-Barishal. Meanwhile, general news outlets have reported the suspension of launch services on internal river routes in Barishal due to similar weather conditions.
