Flash Floods, Waterlogging: 31,000 marooned in Cox’s Bazar, parts of Bagerhat inundated

Over a week of incessant rain has triggered flash floods in Cox's Bazar district, affecting over one lakh people and marooning around 31,000 residents. Roads, crop lands, and households across five upazilas -- Ukhiya, Ramu, Eidgaon, Chakaria, and Kutubdia -- are submerged under water.

The Rohingya refugee camps have also been impacted, with many refugees relocating to higher ground.

Jahangir Alam, the district relief and rehabilitation officer, reported that despite the severe flooding, no one has yet needed to move to shelters.

He expressed hope that if the rain stopped by Friday, the water levels would soon recede.

Photo: Star

Bibhisan Kanti Das, the additional deputy commissioner of Cox's Bazar, announced immediate relief measures, including 47 tonnes of rice and Tk 5 lakh for the flood-affected people.

In Ukhiya's Haldiapalong union, 20 villages with around 10,000 residents remain marooned. Chairman Imrul Kayes Chowdhury said residents are facing severe scarcity of freshwater. Food has been arranged for 500 people over the last three days, though the two-tonne wheat allocation from the district administration is insufficient.

Additional Refugee Relief and Repatriation Commissioner Samsuddauza confirmed that many Rohingya refugees have been moved to higher ground due to the floods.

Meanwhile, rainfall since Wednesday night has inundated various areas in Bagerhat district.

Major roads in Bagerhat town, including Sadhana Intersection, Shaltala, Kharadar School Road, District Hospital Intersection, Khan Jahan Ali Road, Rail Road, PTI Intersection, and areas around the district post office, have been submerged in ankle- to knee-deep water.

Low-lying areas in Morrelganj, Sharankhola, Mongla, Rampal, and Kachua upazilas face similar conditions. Several fish enclosures have reportedly been washed away, causing significant losses for local fish farmers.

The flooding has caused immense suffering for commuters, with few vehicles available and many forced to wade through dirty water. Numerous homes and businesses have been inundated, making several areas inaccessible.

As it was a weekly holiday, many residents chose to stay indoors.

However, low-income individuals and daily earners, such as rickshaw pullers, were severely affected. Shahidul Sheikh, a rickshaw puller, expressed his struggle, saying, "I had to come out despite the rain to feed my family, but I only earned Tk 135 by 3:30pm."

Residents voiced their frustrations over poor drainage.

Rafin Hawlader from Mithapukur Paar area said, "Every road is waterlogged, forcing us to wade through knee-deep, dirty water."

Sanchita, living near the children's hospital, shared her ordeal, saying, "Water enters our home even with a little rain. I haven't been able to cook for two days as our kitchen is submerged. We are surviving on dry food."

Rezaul Haque Rizvi, assistant engineer of Bagerhat Municipality, assured that ongoing drainage development work would mitigate the waterlogging issues.

"Currently, five kilometres of drainage work is underway. Once completed, we will excavate five canals in the town to relieve the waterlogging," he said.