C T Online Desk: Low-lying areas in Chattogram city went under waist-deep water on Friday due to heavy rain and the tidal surge, causing sufferings to people and losses to businesses.
The residence of city mayor, Md Rezaul Karim Chowdhury at Bahaddarhat also went under water. A photo of the mayor’s residence went viral on social media.
Parking spaces and ground floors of most of the buildings, shops and businesses in the low-lying areas remained under water till afternoon from Friday morning, the residents said.
The areas that were under water included Agrabad CDA residential area, Shantibag, Beparipara, Halishahar, DT Road, Commerce College Road, Bakalia, Rahatarpool, Saraipara, Patharghata, Bahaddarhat, Badurtala, Muradpur, Chawkbazar, Asadganj, Gate 2 area, DC Road, CWASA circle of Chattogram city, according to the residents.
This monsoon was largely rainless but a spell of heavy monsoon rain submerged the Chattogram city for almost a day, saying a lot about the poor state of drainage in the city.
Chattogram city mayor Md Rezaul Karim Chowdhury could not be reached for comment on Friday.
Md Sirajul Islam, a resident of Bakalia area, told New Age that the area experienced waist-deep water from Friday morning to afternoon due to heavy rain and the tidal surge.
‘Chaktai canal and Rajakhali canal were filled with the tidal surge and rain water as the canals were filled with tidal surge which caused water stagnation in the area,’ he said.
Rimon Das, owner of Satya departmental store at Badurtala, told New Age that he faced a huge loss as goods went under water.
However, traffic movement on Lalkhanbazar-Tigerpass road was halted for almost three hours from 8:00am to 11:00am due to landslide adjacent to Lalkhanbazar to Tigerpass road, said deputy assistant director Abdur Razzak of Chattogram fire service and civil defence.
‘A microbus got stuck in the mud due to landslide on the road. We cleared the road in three hours. No one was injured in the landslide,’ he said.
Assistant forecast officer Suman Saha of Patenga Met Office told New Age that they recorded 125mm rainfall in the past 24-hour till 3:00pm on Friday.
Heavy rainfall is likely to continue at places over Chattogram division in the next 24 hours and there is a chance of landslides during the heavy rain, he said.
The people of Chattogram city have been suffering from water stagnation for a decade. The government has undertaken some projects to remove water stagnation in Chattogram which are underway.
The government on August 9, 2017, undertook the ‘Canal re-excavation, renovation and expansion to eradicate water stagnation in Chattogram’ project at a cost of Tk 5,616 crore with a timeline of 2020. But the duration of the project extended to June 2024 at several times.
The Chattogram Development Authority’s project is being implemented under the supervision of the Bangladesh Army.
A total of 76 per cent work of the project was completed till July 2023 with the cost of Tk 3,500 core, according to water stagnation project director for Bangladesh Army Lieutenant Colonel Md Shah Ali.
‘Bahaddarhat, Bakalia and Chawkbazar areas have experienced water stagnation as the sluice gates on the Chaktai canal and Rajakhali canal are yet to be completed,’ the project director said.
‘Four sluice gates are functional in Halishahar area and due to this the area has experienced less water stagnation than the previous years,’ he said.
The Chattogram City Corporation undertook a project of excavation of Baroipara Canal at a cost of Tk 1,256 crore in 2014 with a time duration till 2017. But later the project was revised and the cost was increased to Tk 1,362 crore and time duration was extended to June 2024, according to the CCC project director Forhad Alam.
‘A total of 45 per cent work of the project had been completed till July 2023,’ the project director said.
Farhad Alam said that they were implementing the project after dividing different positions.
The Water Development Board undertook a project named ‘Flood control, renovation and expansion to eradicate water stagnation in Chattogram city’ at a cost of Tk 1620 crore in 2020 with a time duration 2022, according to Shibendu Khastogir, chief engineer of BWDB Chattogram east zone.
Shibendu Khastogir could not be reached for comment on Friday but he earlier informed that a total of 30 per cent work of the project had been completed till April 2023.
However, the city residents blamed the authorities concerned for the suffering as the projects were being implemented at a slow pace.
Mohammad Tareq Chowdhury, assistant professor of Chittagong University, said that they took huge time but could not complete the projects.
‘People have been suffering for a long time due to water stagnation but the project officials have no concern about this. They are lingering on the projects to increase the cost to become beneficiaries,’ he said.
