Digital Desk: The drastic drop in the Brahmaputra's water level over the last few days has hampered the movement of boats and vessels, particularly cargo vessels. This has become a major source of concern.
The Directorate of Inland Water Transport, Assam has requested assistance from the Inland Waterways Authority of India (IWAI) in obtaining dredgers for dredging the river. The Assam Directorate of Inland Water Transport has noticed a considerable reduction in the Brahmaputra's water level during the last 15 days. The water level along the river's banks has dropped to the point that boats are having difficulty reaching the ghats. The Directorate of Inland Water Transport, Assam, has informed the Central Water Commission about this and sought a study to find out the reason for the sudden drop in the Brahmaputra's water level.
Also Read: Pakistan Super League: Haris Rauf Slaps Teammate Karan Ghulam for Dropping a Catch
Two Bangladeshi vessels became trapped in the river a few days ago when the water level plummeted. The boats were extracted using two dredgers. Assam has previously received two dredgers from IWAI. One of them is in Dhubri owing to technical issues, while the other is being returned to Guwahati but would take another week to arrive. The IWT officials have asked the IWAI to send two additional dredgers so that the river may be dredged and made passable.
The river in Guwahati has dried out so much that sandbars have formed 1 km-1.5 km from the river bank. As the river has nearly dried out along the banks, sandbars have formed in numerous other places. Vessels and boats are having difficulty accessing the ghats since they require a minimum water depth of two metres. As a result, the ghats have been temporarily relocated, incurring additional expenditures.
Continue Reading
