More rain, more pain
Once again, incessant rain brought immense sufferings to port city residents yesterday, as many areas went under water.
Chattogram Met Office recorded 122.4mm of rain in 24 hours until 3pm. “Heavy to moderate shower may continue in the next 24 hours,” said Bishwajit Chowdhury, forecasting officer of the met office.
Following yesterday’s rain, most low-lying areas including Chawkbazar, Bakalia, Sholakbahar, Agrabad, Halisahar, Muradpur, Bahaddarhat, Kapasgola, Prabarttak Intersection, KB Aman Ali Road, DC Road, Chandgaon, Sholashahar Gate-2, East Nasirabad and Dewanbazar went under knee- to waist-deep water.
People were seen wading through filthy water to go to their destinations. Some were busy protecting their homes and shops from water while others were trying to drain and scoop water out.
Very few vehicles plied the roads and a handful of rickshaws and three-wheelers were seen carrying passengers -- that too at exorbitant fares.
Some vehicles broke down on the flooded Jamal Khan Road in front of Chittagong Ideal School while some got stuck in mud that washed down from adjacent hills.
Many city dwellers expressed their frustration over the authorities’ failure to address the waterlogging problem.
“For how long do we have to suffer?” vented Mohammad Hannan, a resident of West Bakalia. “Rainwater entered my house just two days ago, damaging valuables. It’s the same all over again. I don’t understand what the authorities concerned are doing? They continue to assure us of mitigating the [waterlogging] crisis, but to no avail.”
Hannan was not the only one. On KB Aman Ali Road, Ruksana Akter, a student of Government Hazi Mohammad Mohsin College, was seen walking in knee-deep water, in an attempt to go home. “What choice do I have? I could not find any transport,” said an exasperated Ruksana.
Pointing at water overflowing from adjacent Chaktai canal, she said, “Why couldn’t they [Chattogram City Corporation] excavate it before rainy season?”
Contacted, Shafiqul Mannan Siddique, chief conservancy officer, said CCC workers were working relentlessly to clean the drains. “Downpour during high tide caused waterlogging in low-lying areas but water was draining out quickly,” he assured.
Meanwhile, Chattogram District Administration continued their eviction campaign of people living in risky hill slopes in the city. So far, the administration has evacuated around 800 families from the slopes, said Mahmud Ullah Maruf, revenue deputy collector.
The families were taken to eight shelters, said Maruf, also coordinator of the campaign.
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