A recurring calamity in Chattogram

Once again, residents of Chattogram find themselves grappling with an old foe: waterlogging. This is hardly news anymore, though; by now it has become business – and suffering – as usual, a recurring calamity that simply refuses to go away, monsoon or no monsoon. On Sunday, waterlogging caused by overnight downpour reportedly disrupted the lives of residents across the city, and even forced the delaying of HSC exams by an hour, with students seen wading through knee-deep water to reach their exam centres. The fact that such adjustments have become routine over the years hints at the normalisation of waterlogging in the city's narrative – a narrative that must shift from enduring to eradicating.

Sunday also witnessed what has emerged as the most disturbing consequence of waterlogging of late: death by falling into uncovered drains. Reportedly, an 18-month-old toddler went missing after he fell into a drain at the Halishahar thana before his dead body was recovered 17 hours later, on Monday morning. We have often talked about the danger of drains and canals getting clogged because of indiscriminate dumping of waste and lack of clearing, leading to the overflowing of drains which make them indistinguishable from flooded roads. Earlier this month, a college student also died after falling into an open drain at the Hathazari area. This Friday marked the two years of the death of a vegetable vendor who similarly fell to his death at the Muradpur area.

The question is, why do such tragedies keep occurring? Why are so many drains, and connected canals, still uncovered and dangerously exposed? Getting swept away into one of them, especially when it rains and the roads get invariably waterlogged, is a real possibility. Chittagong reportedly has 56 canals as well as 765 km of drains. A 2021 survey by the Chattogram City Corporation (CCC) identified a total of 5,527 dangerous spots connected to these canals and drains. Evidently, the authorities know about them but preventive actions have been few and far between. Instead, responsible officials, including the mayor, seemed more interested in blaming residents for waterlogging and associated risks.

The fact is, this is no longer just a civic issue; it is a matter of life and death. Any negligence leading to the sustenance of this problem should be considered criminal. We urge the CCC and the Chattogram Development Authority (CDA) to work collaboratively to eradicate waterlogging urgently, including by clearing and covering all drains.