Heavy downpour cripples port city

Unloading suspended at outer anchorage

Many parts of the Chittagong city have become submerged, with the low lying areas becoming completely waterlogged due to incessant rains for the last couple of days caused by an active monsoon. The waterlogging was compounded by flash flood as tidal water also entered the low areas.
Civic life almost came to a standstill as office-goers and school going children in the city faced untold sufferings yesterday. Many had to wade through knee to waist-deep waters in the morning to reach their destinations. Mechanised vehicles were mostly unable to move in areas with severe waterlogging while many were seen stuck in water with their engines failing to run in knee deep waters.
The Met Office at Patenga recorded 463 millimetre rains in the last 48 hours till 9 am Saturday. Light to moderate rain or heavy rainfall is likely in Chittagong division in the next 24 hours beginning from Saturday due to the active monsoon, said Met Office sources.
Tidal water also entered many low-lying areas yesterday including Halishahar, Agrabad, Kattali, Bandartila, Goshaildanga, Saltgola Crossing, Chaktai, Khatunganj, Patenga and Bandar.
Meanwhile, the unloading operations at the outer anchorage of Chittagong Port remains suspended for the last couple of days due to the inclement weather, coupled with heavy downpour. The unloading activities remained suspended as 15 lighter vessels, laden with goods, including wheat, clay, raw sugar, fertiliser and cement clinkers remained stranded at the outer anchorage of the Chittagong Port.
Since mother vessels having 190 metre length and 9 metre draft or more cannot anchor at the port, these ships must station at the outer anchorage of the Chittagong Port and smaller lighter vessels are then used to transport goods from these ships to the port.
 The importers have to rent lighter vessels from Water Transport Cell for unloading goods from mother vessels to lighter ones.
Officials at the Water Transport Cell, who rents out lighter vessels, said that the importers are not renting vessels due to the inclement weather. Therefore, the unloading operations remain suspended for the last couple of days, he said.

Heavy downpour cripples port city

Unloading suspended at outer anchorage

Many parts of the Chittagong city have become submerged, with the low lying areas becoming completely waterlogged due to incessant rains for the last couple of days caused by an active monsoon. The waterlogging was compounded by flash flood as tidal water also entered the low areas. Civic life almost came to a standstill as office-goers and school going children in the city faced untold sufferings yesterday. Many had to wade through knee to waist-deep waters in the morning to reach their destinations. Mechanised vehicles were mostly unable to move in areas with severe waterlogging while many were seen stuck in water with their engines failing to run in knee deep waters. The Met Office at Patenga recorded 463 millimetre rains in the last 48 hours till 9 am Saturday. Light to moderate rain or heavy rainfall is likely in Chittagong division in the next 24 hours beginning from Saturday due to the active monsoon, said Met Office sources. Tidal water also entered many low-lying areas yesterday including Halishahar, Agrabad, Kattali, Bandartila, Goshaildanga, Saltgola Crossing, Chaktai, Khatunganj, Patenga and Bandar. Meanwhile, the unloading operations at the outer anchorage of Chittagong Port remains suspended for the last couple of days due to the inclement weather, coupled with heavy downpour. The unloading activities remained suspended as 15 lighter vessels, laden with goods, including wheat, clay, raw sugar, fertiliser and cement clinkers remained stranded at the outer anchorage of the Chittagong Port. Since mother vessels having 190 metre length and 9 metre draft or more cannot anchor at the port, these ships must station at the outer anchorage of the Chittagong Port and smaller lighter vessels are then used to transport goods from these ships to the port. The importers have to rent lighter vessels from Water Transport Cell for unloading goods from mother vessels to lighter ones. Officials at the Water Transport Cell, who rents out lighter vessels, said that the importers are not renting vessels due to the inclement weather. Therefore, the unloading operations remain suspended for the last couple of days, he said.