Ctg city dwellers suffer from waterlogging for 2nd straight day

The dwellers of low-lying areas of Chattogram city have been facing waterlogging for the second consecutive day today as the heavy rain continued due to the active presence of monsoon in the region.

The Chattogram Met Office recorded 77 mm rain in 24 hours till 3:00pm on Saturday, said Shrikanta Kumar Basak, a met official.

"As the monsoon wind is active in this region, it may rain in the next 48 hours in Chattogram," he said.

There is a caution for heavy shower and hill slide in next 48 hours, the official added.

Meanwhile, Chattogram District Administration started to relocate people residing on risky hill-slopes in the port city yesterday.

Contacted, Abul Basar Mohammad Fakhruzzaman, deputy commissioner of Chattogram, said people living in risky hill-slopes at Motijharna, Batali Hill, Firoj Shah, Akbar Shah areas are being relocated.

Asked whether they were taken to any shelter centre, he said, 'We asked them to reside in the local schools but they prefer to go to their relatives' houses."

During the visit, the correspondent found that the heavy rain flooded most low-lying areas, including Chawkbazar, Bahaddarhat, Muradpur, Sholashahar Gate No.2, Badurtola, Bakalia DC Road, KB Aman Ali Road, Agrabad, Halishahar, Chandgaon, Katalganj, Shulakbahar and Dewan Bazar areas. The areas went under knee-to-waist deep water.

People were seen suffering as water entered into shops and houses in the areas. Most of the roadside shops at Badurtola area were seen shut in the morning.

The shop owners said rain water entered into the shops making it impossible to stay inside.

Water entered into the ground floor of Chawk Super Market at Chawkbazar area yesterday damaging valuables. The road from Telipatti to Chawkbazar Kitchen Market went under knee-deep water.People were seen walking on through filthy water on the road overflowing from roadside drains.

Taposi Ghosh, a resident of West Bakalia DC Road area, said she was going to the hospital to attend her mother-in-law.

"A few vehicles is plying on the road. I hardly found two rickshaws vacant but the pullers demanded very high fare," she said explaining why was wading through the water.

Although Chattogram Development Authority (CDA) has been implementing a mega project worth Tk 5,617 crore to address waterlogging in the city since 2017, the city dwellers alleged that they were not getting any benefit of it.

The CDA chief engineer Hasan Bin Shams could not be contacted for his comment as his cell-phone remained switched off while Lt Col Shah Ali, project director of CDA mega project, did not receive his cell-phone despite repeated attempts.