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Shallow Brahmaputra posing threat to ferry service

By Correspondent

JORHAT, Jan 17 � The receding water level of the river Brahamaputra is posing a severe threat to the ferries going to and coming from Majuli. One of the busiest river ports, the Chumoimari Ghat has already been closed due to this problem. Likewise, six other river ports on the southern bank of Brahamaputra connecting the river island are also in trouble for the same reason.

One of the ferries leaving Kamalabari Ghat to Neamati at 1.40 pm today, carrying hundreds of passengers from Majuli, faced technical difficulties and began to drift away. The ferry has now gone beyond the reach of mobile phone networks. Although the Majuli police has sent a boat to recover the ferry, it has not been recovered till the filing of this report. Another ferry has been sent from Neamatighat to trace the missing vessel.

According to a source, the ferry may have got stuck in the underwater sands and started malfunctioning.

The most essential commodities required by more than two lakh population on the river island are transported through the seven ports of the river. The ferries often get stuck in the sands under the shallow waters at the river ports. Experts are of the opinion that the continuous erosion by the river and sand deposits on the riverbed are compounding this problem.

Due to the receding water level, the Kamalabari Ghat had to be shifted temporarily to the Palakhani Chapari located some three km away.

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