MOST areas of the country’s commercial capital, Chittagong were submerged due to the incessant heavy rainfall, which started as a shower in the late hours of Thursday. The main thoroughfares were under knee-to-waist deep water for the past four days, news sources said on Sunday. Among the low-lying areas that went under water are Bakalia, Nasirabad, Patenga, Dewanbazar, Chawkbazar, Agrabad, Halishahar, Kapasgola, Chandgaon, Shulakbahar, Enayet Bazar, Boropol, Muradpur, Sholoshahar, Bahaddarhat and Probartak intersection. We are sympathetic enough to our fellow citizens in the port city hearing of such an unfortunate situation that the people suffer there and urge the concerned functionaries to take immediate action to relieve the inhabitants.
The entire city life in Chittagong has become paralyzed due to water logging and other related hazards caused by torrential showers like land sliding, building collapses and disruption in port activity. News reports said, a construction worker died and three others sustained injuries falling under the collapsed boundary wall of an under-construction building at Hill View Residential Area. Commuters had to suffer quite a lot through filthy water from overflowing roadside drains. Ship movements at Chittagong Sea Port channel remained halted for sometime and consequently, the loading and uploading of the goods at the port jetties and outer anchorage remained suspended. Fearing the possibility of mudslides, the district administration has already started a campaign over loud speaker asking the hill-side dwellers to go to safe places like nearby school buildings and cyclone centers.
We are worried about insignificant and ill-planned remedial efforts of the Chittagong Development Authority, the Chittagong WASA and the Chittagong City Corporation and all other concerned authorities. It has been alleged for several times that the root cause of this severe water-logging in the port city lies in its choked-up network of 16 major canals which are supposed to flush out the rain water. The influential ones with political lineage have grabbed a large part of these canals that cause disruption to the normal flow of water. Nonetheless, the concerned authorities have not taken any initiative for re-excavation of these canals and removal of obstacles to the normal flow of water. The government in 2012 financed three projects under the supervision of Chittagong City Corporation for excavating Raza Khal, Mohesh Khal and Chaktai Khal but development of these canals in piecemeal basis could not soothe the woes of the city residents.
The absence of a well-knit underground drainage system is the reason behind the water logging worry of the port city. Extinction of the natural water bodies such as rivers, canals and beels, unawareness of the citizens, land grabbing and an indifferent administration to the problem worsen the situation. Experts view that the problem of stagnant rainwater of the country’s commercial hub is not difficult to solve and it will not be expensive to achieve. We share the experts view and hope that the government authorities and public representatives at both national and local levels and other stakeholders take an integrated effort to wipe out the pain borne by the port city.
