Adverse weather conditions have interrupted launch service from Dhaka to southern parts of Bangladesh.
All water transport service from Dhaka’s Sadarghat was halted from 8:28 am to 9:42 am and 11:50 am to 1 pm due to threatening weather conditions, said Bangladesh Inland Water Transport Association Inspector Dinesh Kumar Saha.
Dhaka experienced about three hours of medium to heavy rain on Sunday morning after it was hit by a storm. Heavy rain was also reported in various other districts.
The Meteorological Department had previously forecast storm and rain in the Rajshahi, Pabna, Bagura, Tangail, Mymensingh, Jashore, Kushtia, Faridpur, Madaripur, Dhaka, Comilla, Noakhali and Sylhet areas and instructed ports to raise Maritime Warning No 2.
Vessels greater than 65ft in length are not restricted from operations under Warning No 2, Dinesh Kumar Saha said. But service was halted twice as cautionary measures amid the storm on Sunday, he added.
Launches from Dhaka’s Sadarghat set off along 42 routes to the south of Bangladesh every day, with each vessel carrying about 65 to 70 passengers. Due to public holidays this week there were a larger-than-usual crowd gather at the port.
A total of 50mm of rain were recorded between 6 am and 9 am on Sunday morning, said Meteorological Department official Bazlur Rashid, reports bdnews24.
The stormy weather is likely to continue for another few days, Saha added.