Once a key supply hub for agricultural inputs and fuel to the greater northern region, Baghabari river port in Shahzadpur upazila of Sirajganj is now seeing more and more cargo vessels avoiding it due to years of neglect in navigability management and inadequate port facilities.

Fertiliser-laden vessels arriving from Chattogram now offload their consignments at Nawapara port in the southwestern district Jashore, from where the agricultural inputs are then transported to northern districts.

"I travelled to Baghabari port around one and a half years ago carrying imported fertiliser, but I was unable to reach the port directly due to navigability problems," said Md Eusuf Mollah, master of an inland water vessel.

"Now we use Nawapara port regularly instead of Baghabari to unload fertiliser," Mollah added.

He said that Nawapara port can accommodate vessels carrying 1,000-1,200 tonnes of cargo, a capacity that Baghabari cannot match.

Established in the 1980s on the banks of Baral river, Baghabari currently offers a draft of only 7-8 feet during the dry season, which allows vessels with roughly 300 tonnes of cargo.

Although minor dredging of the nearby Jamuna channel was carried out in recent years, there has been no visible improvement in navigability in the Baral as water levels have been declining rapidly.

"Fertiliser vessels usually have a draft of 10-12 feet, but the current water level in the river is only 9 to 9.5 feet. Therefore, only ships with a draft of 7-8 feet can navigate this channel in winter," Md Asaduzzaman, in-charge of Baghabari port, told The Daily Star.

He said that during the monsoon, heavier vessels with drafts more than 10-12 feet can easily access the port.

Asaduzzaman said that over the years, both the size and  the load capacity of inland vessels have increased, but the port's facilities have failed to keep pace.

These decades-old port facilities are inadequate for handling larger vessels, leaving the port yard largely empty during the dry season.

Port officials said some small cargo vessels carrying cement still arrive at the port, but fertiliser and coal-laden ships are less regular.

For hundreds of port workers, this decline in activity has put pressure on them to find alternative livelihoods.

"Around 400-500 workers had sufficient income at the port even a few years ago, now even 100-150 workers struggle to make their ends meet with the income here," said Md Jahangir Sardar, a local labour leader.

Many port workers have left the port in search of new jobs, Jahangir added.

The empty port yards have also impacted the buffer fertiliser warehouse at the port area, leaving it with insufficient stocks.

"We have a demand for 10,281 tonnes of fertiliser for Sirajganj district in January, but we currently have a reserve of 7,734 tonnes," said Md Abdullah Al Ansari, in-charge of the warehouse at the port.

Run under the Bangladesh Chemical Industries Corporation (BCIC), Ansari said the warehouse is receiving truckloads from Nawapara, but they do not arrive on time.

"Fuel-laden vessels can load a minimum of 10 to 12 lakh litres, but now each fuel-laden vessel carries a maximum of 8 to 9 lakh litres of fuel to reach the port," said Md Abul Fazal, in-charge of the Jamuna oil depot at Baghabari.

Baghabari fuel depot is one of the largest fuel depots in the northern districts, with a fuel reserve capacity of more than 7.5 crore litres.

"We have the capacity to unload three fuel ships daily at the three fuel jetties in the port, but they all arrive with reduced loads," he said, adding that if the Baral river channel is improved, fully loaded ships could be accommodated without any issue.