First monsoon downpour submerges Khulna

The first heavy downpour of this monsoon since Monday has left most areas of Khulna city under knee-deep water, while adjoining low-lying areas were submerged under waist-high water -- exposing the inefficacy of the Tk 823 crore drainage improvement project of Khulna City Corporation (KCC).

The rain began overnight on Monday and continued till yesterday noon, triggering widespread waterlogging and causing severe disruption to the daily life of city dwellers, including day labourers, office-goers, and schoolchildren.

"In the 24 hours till 6:00am on Tuesday, 36mm of rain was recorded, while 47mm was recorded between 6:00am and 12:00pm on Tuesday. This pattern of intermittent rainfall is expected to continue until June 20," said Animesh Chandra Dhali, assistant meteorologist at the Khulna office of the Bangladesh Meteorological Department.

City dwellers blamed clogged drains and sewer systems, encroachment, and the lack of renovation of the city's 22 canals, along with the filling up of natural reservoirs and rivers, as the main reasons behind Khulna's longstanding waterlogging woes.

According to KCC's Conservancy Department, the city has a 1,165-kilometre drainage network. Most of the drains constructed under the drainage improvement project are now clogged and require manual cleaning -- making regular maintenance difficult and inefficient.

Key areas of the city -- including Ahsan Ahmed Road, Royal Intersection, Khan Jahan Ali Road, Bastuhara, Baitipara, Chanmari, Labonchhara, Tutpara, Mistripara, Mujgunni Road, and Rupsha Notun Bazar -- have been severely affected. The stretch from Dakbangla Intersection to Ferryghat Intersection remained submerged under knee-deep water.

"While heading to work this morning, I found the entire road flooded. My motorcycle was halfway under water. I had to tread through Sabuj Sangha Field and Notun Rasta to reach the main road, facing immense hassle. Apart from the Khulna-Jashore highway, almost all roads became waterlogged amid the rain," said Tushar Kanti Das, a resident of Ward 6.

Locals from wards 6, 7, and 9 said the rainwater is supposed to drain through the Bastuhara and Karigor Para canals into the Mayur river, but without regular maintenance, these canals can no longer function effectively.

After being re-elected in 2018, former KCC mayor Talukder Abdul Khaleque made mitigating waterlogging his key campaign promise. A Tk 823 crore project was approved, and over the past five and a half years, around 200 drains were developed and seven canals -- including the Mayur river -- were dredged at a cost of Tk 600 crore.

"Over the past decade or so, waterlogging has continued to worsen despite so many drains being constructed across the city. We rickshaw pullers suffer the most due to this -- with fewer passengers, difficulty in riding, lower earnings, and yet we still have to pay full rent to owners," said Azmal Haque, a rickshaw puller who has been living in the Shirish Nagar area for 30 years.

Babul Hawlader, member secretary of the Khulna Nagarik Committee, called for the involvement of both the government and local stakeholders to resolve the city's waterlogging crisis.

Mahfuzur Rahman Mukul, divisional coordinator of the Bangladesh Environmental Lawyers Association (BELA), said the authorities had identified 460 encroachers and 382 illegal structures on the Mayur River and 26 canals four years ago in Khulna city and three nearby upazilas.

"However, no effective eviction drive followed. Although the Mayur River was partially dredged, it was a poorly executed job. As a result, the situation hardly improved," he said.

"The connection between the Mayur and Rupsha rivers at Alutala Gate must be restored to allow tidal flow and revitalise the waterway so that rainwater can drain into the Rupsha," he added.

Sheikh Ashraf-Uz-Zaman, president of the Greater Khulna Development Coordination Committee, called for restoring all 22 canals within the city to solve the waterlogging issue.

KCC Chief Engineer Moshiuzzaman Khan said, "While most of the work under the project has been completed, several key aspects -- such as repairing pump stations and sluice gates -- are still pending. Once those are done, the city will witness real improvement."