Chattogram Correspondent

Different parts of the port city of Chattogram have once again been flooded after heavy rain.

In the 24 hours to 9am on Thursday, the city had recorded 141.8 mm of rain. The high tide at the start of the day only worsened conditions. Many important thoroughfares in the city are now under water.

The active seasonal winds in the area have led to persistent rain in the city since Aug 16. It has rained continuously since Wednesday evening and the rain only intensified on Thursday morning.

In the three hours from 6am to 9am on Thursday, the Patenga Meteorological Office says 55 mm of rain were recorded. The first high tide of the day also began around 9am. Low tide will be at 2pm.

On Tuesday morning, the city had recorded 60 mm of rain over the course of three hours.
The rain and high tide have led to flooding in Bahaddarhat, Muradpur, No. 2 Gate, Mehedibag, Chawkbazar, Bakalia DC Road, the Three Pole area, and parts of Halishahar on Thursday morning.

“There has been water on the roads since the morning,” said Saifullah, a resident of Mehedibag’s SM Ali Road. “Vehicles are having difficulty running.”

“There are a few private hospitals on the road. The patients and their families are having difficulties coming and going.”

The water is highest at the Bahaddarhat intersection. The ground floor of the Swajan Super Market is inundated. Knee-deep water was seen on the Badurtala-Kapasgola road.

Ali Akbar Khan, a forecast official at the Patenga Meteorological Office, told bdnews24.com, “The monsoon is active over Bangladesh and moderate to strong over the North Bay of Bengal. It is raining heavily.”

"More rain will occur throughout the day, but the intensity of rain may decrease slightly from the afternoon. However, it will rain for another couple of days. Heavy rain will occur in Bandarban and nearby areas."

He said that a warning has been issued for heavy rains and landslides in Chattogram and nearby areas, "However, there is no warning at the sea port as there are no stormy winds."

Various areas of the Fatikchari and Raozan Upazilas of Chattogram have been flooded since Wednesday afternoon due to continuous rain.

Asked about the situation, District Relief and Rehabilitation Officer Saifullah Majumder told bdnews24.com: "We have sought information from the Upazilas. If I get the information, then I can inform you."

Dr Mohammad Ilias Chowdhury, the district’s civil surgeon, has ordered the preparation of a total of 290 medical teams from each union, Upazila and Sadar hospital to deal with the situation amid risks of landslides, inundation and floods.

The total cost of four ongoing projects to resolve decades-old waterlogging has been estimated at Tk 143.90 billion.

Among them, the largest project of the Chattogram Development Authority (CDA), which covers 36 canals, is estimated to cost Tk 56.16 billion. After the revision in November last year, the project cost has increased by another Tk 31 billion.

The Army's 34 Engineer Construction Brigade is working on the project. About 72 percent of the project has been completed so far.

Apart from this, the Water Development Board is spending Tk 16.20 billion on the 'Chittagong Metropolitan Flood Control, Water Submergence/Waterlogging Relief and Drainage Development' project.
Every monsoon, waterlogging occurs in various parts of the city including Chawkbazar, Muradpur, Baklia, No. 2 Gate, Bahaddarhat, Kapasgola, Chaktai, Khatunganj, Achadganj, Agrabad, and Halishahar.

Shops, businesses and homes in the city are submerged in waist-deep water due to heavy rains. The people of the city suffered greatly. In the past three years, 10 people, including children, have died by falling into unprotected canals during monsoons.

Although it rained for a few days in May and the end of June this year, the amount was relatively lower compared to other areas. Though some areas have suffered waterlogging, it was also less than in previous years.