CHATTOGRAM: Heavy downpours coupled with high tidal surges inundated vast stretches of Chattogram city today, causing severe public suffering and crippling transport networks.
The Patenga Meteorological Office recorded 189mm of rainfall in the 24 hours until 9:00am today, with 81mm falling in just three hours between 6:00am and 9:00am.
Forecasting Officer Md Ismail Bhuiyan warned that low-pressure activity and active monsoon winds could prolong the rain for another two to three days.
Major commercial and residential areas, including Katalganj, Bakalia, Chawkbazar, New Market, Reazuddin Bazar, Kapasgola, Agrabad, Halishahar and Chandgaon, were inundated, with water reaching knee- to waist-level in some places. Waterlogging was also reported on the Akhtaruzzaman Chowdhury Flyover, slowing traffic.
An ongoing gas shortage further worsened the situation, keeping many CNG-run auto-rickshaws off the roads and leaving office-goers and students struggling to find transport.
"I stepped outside this morning to find the roads submerged. We had to face the exact same nightmare for three straight days just a short while ago in July," said Abdul Aziz, a resident of Katalganj.
"Every monsoon brings the same misery, yet there is no permanent solution in sight."
Chawkbazar resident Mostafa Kamal said he found very few vehicles while travelling to work.
"The transport shortage, along with the rain, has multiplied our suffering," he said.
Water also entered the ground floor of Chawk Super Market in Chawkbazar, damaging goods in several shops.
"All my goods worth Tk 2 lakh have been damaged by the filthy water," said shopkeeper Md Munna.
Urban planning experts attributed the recurring waterlogging to delays, planning shortcomings and suspended construction under four major drainage and flood-control projects with a combined estimated cost of more than Tk 14,000 crore.
The projects are being implemented by the Chattogram Development Authority (CDA), the Bangladesh Water Development Board (WDB), and the Chattogram City Corporation (CCC), but none has met its original completion deadline.
The CDA's project to renovate 36 primary canals, launched in 2017, saw its budget rise from Tk 5,616 crore to Tk 8,626 crore. The project is reportedly 95 per cent complete.
Work on the CDA's canal development project, being carried out by the Bangladesh Army's 34th Engineer Construction Brigade, has remained suspended since late April.
Temporary earthen dams built during construction trapped water in work areas after the early rains, contributing to severe flooding at locations such as the Probarttak Intersection.
Following public protests on April 29, the Ministry of Local Government ordered the removal of the temporary dams to allow water to drain. Construction at Hizra Khal, Jamal Khan Khal and Chaktai Khal was subsequently halted until October, CDA officials said.
CDA Executive Engineer Ahmed Mainuddin said only 15 to 20 days of work remained on key canals, but untimely rainfall disrupted the remaining work.
Project Director Lt Col Md Mohsinul Haque Chowdhury said the completed works would eventually reduce the city's waterlogging by up to 75 per cent.
Experts, however, said the projects do not adequately account for Chattogram's geography.
Engineer Delwar Majumder, former president of the Institute of Engineers Bangladesh's Chattogram Centre, said high tides can push seawater levels to more than five metres above sea level, while parts of the city are only two to three metres above sea level.
He said that focusing only on 36 of the city's 57 remaining canals—down from 104 historically—without developing the retention ponds recommended in the 1995 Master Plan would leave Chattogram vulnerable to waterlogging for years to come. - The Dawn/ANN
