GUWAHATI: Rising water levels of rivers have prompted the Assam inland water transport (IWT) department to suspend all the 21 ferry services under Silchar division in Barak Valley as a precautionary measure from Wednesday evening.
“All the 21 ferry services operated by the department under Silchar division have been suspended due to the rising water levels of the rivers in Barak Valley since Wednesday evening,” IWT director Bharat Bhushan Dev Choudhury told The Shillong Times on Thursday.
Over 30,000 passengers in Barak Valley will be affected till the services are resumed.
Incessant rain over the past few days has inundated several areas in Barak Valley with major rivers such as Longai, Singla and Kushiara flowing above danger level. Besides, the water levels of the Barak and Katakhal rivers are also rising.
Among the major ferry services affected in Barak Valley are Sonabari, Berenga, Gandhighat, Annapurna, Chottodudhpatil, Lathimara and Lalachara.
“It is normal to suspend ferry services as a precautionary measure during the flood season. But we will resume services once the water levels recede and we perceive that there is no threat in operating the ferries,” Dev Choudhury said.
The IWT department operates 103 ferry services under three divisions – Guwahati, Dibrugarh and Silchar
However, ferry services under Guwahati and division have remained unaffected till Wednesday morning even as most rivers are in spate with the southwest monsoon covering most parts of the state and heavy rainfall in most areas.
“But we are closely monitoring the situation in Brahmaputra Valley as well,” he said.
