Staff Reporter :
Torrential rain submerged many areas of Chittagong City on Sunday-an impact of the depression formed in the Bay of Bengal. Some of the inundated areas were under the knee-deep to the waist-deep water due to the poor drainage system.
The areas were Chawkbazar, Bakalia, Kapas Gola, Halishahar, Agrabad, CEPZ Mailer Matha, Prabarttak, Shulak Bahar, Muradpur, Sholoshahar Gate No 2, Katalganj, Kapasgola, Dampara, Panchlaish, Badurtala and Bibirhat.
The rainwater flooded kitchen markets, slums and the ground floors of a large number of residential buildings and offices. Many vehicles were found stranded on waterlogged roads, while people were seen struggling to find their way through the water.
Rickshaw pullers and auto-rickshaw drivers tried to take the advantage of the rain water and realised excess fare from the commuters who under duress paid.
Onrush of rain water at Muradpur, Bahaddarhat, Agrabad, Halishahar and Sholoshahar forced a large number of mechanized and non-mechanized vehicles to remain stationery that increased suffering of the commuters manifolds.
Kamal Uddin of Bakalia said that he had to walk through the waist-deep filthy water to get to his office.
“The drains were overflowing and I could not manage a rickshaw even or other vehicles because the drivers fared accident,” he said.
Shop owners also suffered as water flooded many stores hampering trading for the day and damaging goods.
An employee of a pharmacy, Tahmid Hossain, said some goods of the shop were damaged by dirty water.
The loading and unloading of bulk-cargo ships at the outer anchorage of the port was hindered owing to heavy rain while operational activities in container handling were also affected, port sources said.
Bangladesh Meteorological Department asked authorities to hoist cautionary signal three at maritime ports due to the formation of a deep convection over the North Bay.
The Met Office issued the warnings to the country’s four maritime ports – Cox’s Bazar, Chittagong, Mongla and Payra – that a monsoon depression was formed in the Bay of Bengal on Saturday.
Duty Meteorological Officer Ruhul Kuddus said the situation is likely to change on Monday.
The Met Office also advised all fishing boats and trawlers in the North Bay to anchor close to the coast until further notice.
