Rain paralyses life in Sylhet
Heavy rain paralysed normal life in Sylhet city yesterday and the low-lying areas remained submerged for hours, causing immense sufferings to the dwellers.
Sylhet Met Office recorded 124mm rainfall in five hours from 6:00am.
The city roads at Bilopar, Kuarpar, Laladighirpar, Kanishail, Hawapara, Dargah mohalla, Kajolshah, Bagbari, Shahjalal Upashahar, Tero Ratan, Jatarpur, Hosnabad, Jhalopara and Mendibag remained under water for six to seven hours.
Traders at different markets had to keep their shops closed as rainwater entered the shops and caused water-logging in the areas. “We had to keep our shops shut for hours,” Abdus Shahid Miah, a trader at Kushighat Market said, adding that they experience such suffering during the rainy season.
Busy city roads go under water even after light to moderate rainfall due to lack of proper drainage system as almost all the natural streams and canals in the city have been narrowed by the grabbers. Many of them have already built pucca building and commercial establishments, encroaching upon the streams and canals
Acting Chief Engineer of the Sylhet City Corporation (SCC) Noor Azizur Rahman said rainwater cannot pass through the drains and canals as those have been narrowed by the grabbers.
He, however, said the SCC has started a project involving Tk 11crore to construct drains and free the natural canals--Malni Chhera, Goali chhera, Monglichhera, Kalibari-Akhalia Chhera, Bhubichhera, Boloramer khal, Ratnar Khal, Haldichhera and Bashu khal--from the encroachers.
Local people alleged the SCC's sanitation department does not clean the drains regularly. Besides, the authorities are not sincere to evict the grabbers. But an official claimed the department lacks manpower to run its clean-up operations smoothly.
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