CDA-CCC joint probe body submits report with recommendations

A joint probe committee of Chattogram Development Authority (CDA) and Chattogram City Corporation (CCC) has submitted a report to the mayor with six short- and 11 long-term recommendations to resolve the city's waterlogging problem.

The committee was formed following a meeting of CDA and CCC on June 22, chaired by Chattogram City Corporation Mayor Rezaul Karim Chowdhury, after most of the port city's low-lying areas recently remained underwater for several days.

CDA Chief Engineer Hasab Bin Shams was made its convener, and CCC Chief Engineer Rafiqul Islam member secretary.

The short-term recommendations include refraining from throwing waste into canals and drains, legal actions against grabbers, cleaning water bodies regularly, and removal of pipelines set up by different organisations that obstruct water flow.

The long-term suggestions include land acquisition for the project of digging new canal from Bahaddarhat Baroipara to Karnaphuli River, taking steps so that household and kitchen-market waste cannot be thrown into canals and drains, ensuring silt trap and trash trap, formation of drainage and waste management cycle, building new water reservoirs, entrusting the charge for the management of 40 tidal regulators to a specific organisation, and removal of earth from the box culvert on Sheikh Mujib Road.

Both the sources at CDA and CCC confirmed that the recommendation report was submitted on Thursday.

To know about the next course of action following the submission, this correspondent phoned the mayor, but he did not respond to the calls. The CDA chief engineer did the same.

The committee convener Rafiqul Islam declined to give further details.

Similar refusal came from Mobarak Ali, a member of the committee and a ward councillor of Chattogram City Corporation.

He said the mayor himself will talk about it to journalists if necessary.