Heavy rain, tidal water cripple life in Ctg

Inhabitants of Chittagong are going through unspeakable hardship, with large parts of the city being submerged due to a heavy downpour and tidal surge yesterday.

Houses, educational institutions and business establishments in low-lying areas were flooded.

Daily commuters, especially office-goers and students, were stranded due to lack of public transport and traffic gridlocks on thoroughfares amid an incessant downpour from Sunday night. Civic life almost came to a standstill on Monday, with most city roads going under water.

The Chittagong Patenga Met Office recorded 200.6mm rainfall in 24 hours till 3pm yesterday. The downpour was continuing at the time of filing this report around 5pm. The rain would continue for the next 24 hours, said Nur Mohammad, duty assistant of the Patenga Met Office.

In the meantime, Chittagong deputy commissioner Zillur Rahman Chowdhury urged people living on the slopes of the hills to move out of the area.

“The Geological Survey of Bangladesh office in Chittagong has warned us about landslides. So, people living on hill slopes have been asked to leave and move to safer places,” he said.

City commuters went through a great deal of suffering while travelling in Bahaddarhat, Muradpur, Gate No.2, GEC Circle, WASA Circle, Lalkhan Bazar Agrabad, Halishahar, Patenga, Bakalia and Chawkbazar.

The waterlogging was compounded by a flash flood in the wake of a tidal surge, inundating many low-lying city areas including Halishahar, Agrabad, Kattali, Bandartila, Goshaildanga, Saltgola Crossing, Chaktai, Khatunganj, Patanga and Bandar.

The country’s largest commodity hub, Chaktai-Khatungonj-Asadgonj, has been under water since Sunday. The tidal waters entered ground-floor warehouses and shops, causing damage to stored rice and other foodstuff such as lentil, onions, garlic and ginger worth over Tk. 100 crore.

“Different types of goods have been damaged as tidal and rain water entered the warehouses and shops on the ground floor of buildings.

The damage is over Tk. 100. We never imagined that water would enter the warehouses as they were flooded even during the 1991 cyclone!” said Syed Chhogir Ahmed, secretary of the Khatunganj Trade and Industries Association.

City dwellers allege that clogged canals and drains are not regularly cleaned by the city corporation and thus accumulated water does not clear quickly enough.

Even when some canals and drains were cleaned, the spoils had been piled up on their edges. The downpour has sent them back into the channels, locals say.

“Our houses have been flooded and our belongings damaged. This situation has arisen because the city corporation does not clean the drains and canals regularly,” said Nilufa Yeasmin, a homemaker living in the city’s Kapashgola area.

Heavy rain, tidal water cripple life in Ctg

Inhabitants of Chittagong are going through unspeakable hardship, with large parts of the city being submerged due to a heavy downpour and tidal surge yesterday. Houses, educational institutions and business establishments in low-lying areas were flooded. Daily commuters, especially office-goers and students, were stranded due to lack of public transport and traffic gridlocks on thoroughfares amid an incessant downpour from Sunday night. Civic life almost came to a standstill on Monday, with most city roads going under water. The Chittagong Patenga Met Office recorded 200.6mm rainfall in 24 hours till 3pm yesterday. The downpour was continuing at the time of filing this report around 5pm. The rain would continue for the next 24 hours, said Nur Mohammad, duty assistant of the Patenga Met Office. In the meantime, Chittagong deputy commissioner Zillur Rahman Chowdhury urged people living on the slopes of the hills to move out of the area. The Geological Survey of Bangladesh office in Chittagong has warned us about landslides. So, people living on hill slopes have been asked to leave and move to safer places, he said. City commuters went through a great deal of suffering while travelling in Bahaddarhat, Muradpur, Gate No.2, GEC Circle, WASA Circle, Lalkhan Bazar Agrabad, Halishahar, Patenga, Bakalia and Chawkbazar. The waterlogging was compounded by a flash flood in the wake of a tidal surge, inundating many low-lying city areas including Halishahar, Agrabad, Kattali, Bandartila, Goshaildanga, Saltgola Crossing, Chaktai, Khatunganj, Patanga and Bandar. The countrys largest commodity hub, Chaktai-Khatungonj-Asadgonj, has been under water since Sunday. The tidal waters entered ground-floor warehouses and shops, causing damage to stored rice and other foodstuff such as lentil, onions, garlic and ginger worth over Tk. 100 crore. Different types of goods have been damaged as tidal and rain water entered the warehouses and shops on the ground floor of buildings. The damage is over Tk. 100. We never imagined that water would enter the warehouses as they were flooded even during the 1991 cyclone! said Syed Chhogir Ahmed, secretary of the Khatunganj Trade and Industries Association. City dwellers allege that clogged canals and drains are not regularly cleaned by the city corporation and thus accumulated water does not clear quickly enough. Even when some canals and drains were cleaned, the spoils had been piled up on their edges. The downpour has sent them back into the channels, locals say. Our houses have been flooded and our belongings damaged. This situation has arisen because the city corporation does not clean the drains and canals regularly, said Nilufa Yeasmin, a homemaker living in the citys Kapashgola area.