Waterlogging in Chattogram: No respite in sight for residents
Though the night-long torrential rain paused yesterday morning, many low-lying areas of the port city remain waterlogged.
Bahodderhat, Chandgaon, Chawkbazar, Badurtola, Bakalia, Kapasgola, Katalganj, Shulokbahar, different areas of Halishahar and North Agrabad, Anandabazar, Rahmatganj and other areas are still inundated in knee-to waist-deep water till the filing of this report.
Many of these areas also experienced power outages for several hours till yesterday afternoon.
This has caused immense suffering to residents of the areas, even resulting in two deaths.
Two persons died from electrocution while trying to disconnect the IPS unit at an inundated ground floor of three-storey "Khan House" at Katalganj under Panchlaish yesterday morning, informed Nazim Uddin Mazumder, officer-in-charge of Panchlaish Police Station.
The deceased were identified as Abu Taher (65), gatekeeper of the building, and Md Abul Hossain (35), a driver.
Patenga Met Office recorded a 242 mm rainfall in Chattogram in the last 24 hours till 6:00am yesterday. According to the office, there was 94.5 mm of rainfall in the region in the last 12 hours till 6:00am.
People belonging to the lower-income groups in different slums of these areas were the worst sufferers. Many families are also faced with a shortage of food.
Chattogram City Corporation Mayor Md Rejaul Karim Chowdhury could not leave his Bahodderhat residence for official work till yesterday afternoon as the locality remained waterlogged. Afterwards, he visited different waterlogged blocks of Chawkbazar area, said the mayor's assistant personal secretary Md Mostafa Kamal.
"The situation has worsened. There has been a power outage of nine hours till 3:00pm. We have been stuck in our apartments," said Saima Alam, assistant professor of Chattogram University and resident of Halishahar's Shantibagh.
Mobarak Ali, president of CCC Standing Committee to Prevent Water Logging, said excessive rainfall, high tide, the rise of water level in Karnaphuli and blocked drains and canals are responsible for the waterlogging.
He also mentioned that several CCC teams with excavators got engaged and started clearing out the blocked drains and canals to direct the rainwater towards Karnpahuli.
Meanwhile, internal transportation of Chattogram University (CU), i.e. the operations of buses and shuttle trains, were disrupted due to landslides at several places on the campus on Sunday night caused by the two-day long rain.
Several departments cancelled their classes, while the zoology department had to postpone their exams.
In Rangamati, a flash flood from the hill upstream has inundated Bhghaichari, Jurichari and Barkol areas. The rising water level in Kaptai lake has compelled the authority to suspend the operations of water vessels on the lake for an indefinite period.
Ten shelter centres have been opened in Khagrachari municipal area, where landslides also occurred. However, no casualty was reported.