Cyclone Midhili: Water vessels in Barishal suspended amid continuous rainfall, warning signals raised
Bangladesh
Barishal has been facing continuous rain as Cyclone Midhili approached the coast.
Despite the heavy rainfall no river in the region has crossed the danger level yet.
Meanwhile, the Bangladesh Inland Water Transport Authority (BIWTA) has temporarily halted the movement of water vessels due to the cyclone, Kabir Hossain, an inspector of the Department of Marine Safety and Traffic Management of BIWTA, told TBS on Friday (17 November) morning.
He said that the meteorological office has given instructions to raise the number 3 warning signal at river ports, leading to the suspension of small launch services on internal routes.
All launch services on the Barishal-Ilisha-Moju Chowdhury Hat route have also been declared closed. The launch services on the Dhaka-Barishal route, however, still remain operational.
Meanwhile, continuous rainfall in Barishal since Thursday night is causing inconvenience to the residents in their daily commute.
Abdul Kuddus, a senior observer at the Barishal Weather Office, said that there had been 71 millimeters of rainfall in the last 24 hours.
"The cyclone is currently located 330 kilometers away from the Payra Sea Port and is moving closer to the coast," he added.
The weather observer also said winds are blowing at a speed of 51 to 54 kilometers per hour, occasionally reaching up to 81 kilometers per hour.
"A number 7 warning signal has been raised at the Payra Sea Port, and fishing boats in the river and sea have been instructed to return to shore immediately," Abdul Kuddus further said.
Ahead of the cyclone, Barishal's Deputy Commissioner Shahidul Islam said the district administration has taken comprehensive preparations to face cyclone Midhili.
A meeting of the district's disaster management committee was held virtually at 9pm on Thursday (16 November).
There are a total of 541 shelters in Barishal district, all of which have been prepared to provide refuge to the affected people.
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