Drastic fall of water level in the Jamuna River badly hamper movement of ferry boats from and to Balashi ghat of Gaibandha district.

At the beginning of the dry season this year, over 200 big and small shoals have emerged in the riverbed in around 50 square kilometre area from Jigabari to Mannar Char in eastern channel and Kamarjani to Jamira in western channel and the ferry boats often run aground in the areas.

"Boats plying from Balashi ghat to Bahadurabad ghat have to move cautiously to avert grounding on hidden shoals. It requires additional fuel cost and time to reach the destination through alternatives routes," said Nuruzzaman, a boatman at Balashi ghat.

In the rainy season, it takes only two hours to reach Bahadurabad ghat in Jamalpur district from Balashi ghat in Gaibandha district, but in dry season, it required up to four hours, said Mokbul Hossain a passenger of Golner char in Fulchhari upazila.

Losing navigable depth, 17 river routes including Balashi-Fulchhari, Gajaria-Golna, Singria-Jhanjhair, Goonvari-Kalasona, Balashi-Gutail, Sayedpur-Rajibpur, Balashi-Amtoli and Balashi-Sariakandi are facing closure.

On October 17, the railway shut down ferrying wagon barges from Balashi ghat due to sharp decrease of water level and emergence of huge shoals along the ferry routes, said Mosiur Rahman, marine inspector of Balashi ghat.

It needs at least five feet deep water for smooth plying of wagon loaded barges, but now Jamuna channel at many points has only two to three feet deep water. If a barge runs aground on the shoal, it became difficult to free it, he said.

At least ten inter-union river routes in Fulchhari, Gajaria, Fazlupur and Arendabari unions in Fulchhari upazila are on the verge of closure, as water level at many points has come down to knee-deep, said Joynul Abedin Jalal, chairman of Fazlupur union.

"We appealed to the authorities concerned for dredging the silted riverbed, but to no response yet," said Habibur Rahman, chairman of Fulchhari upazila parishad.

This season the Jamuna riverbed got silted by three to four feet layer of sand and sediments, making dredging all the more necessary, said Abdul Awal Mia, executive engineer of Water Development Board in Gaibandha.