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At least 15 places of the city of Chattogram went under water after it experienced a 195mm of rainfall on May 15, much to the annoyance of the city dwellers.
Center for Environmental and Geographical Services (CEIGS), the consultant of the project of “Re-excavation, Expansion, Renovation and Development of Canals to Alleviate Water-logging in Chattogram City,” recorded the water-logging in those places soon after the rainfall.
In August 2017, Executive Committee of the National Economic Council (ECNEC) approved the project at a cost of Tk5,617 crore.
The project deadline will expire on June 30 but only 65 percent works have been completed until now.
The 34th Engineering Construction Brigade of the Army is carrying out the project on behalf of the Chattogram Development Authority (CDA).
According to data provided by CEIGS, on 15 May the areas of the city that were severely affected by water-logging are a part of Sholashahar, Muradpur, Chandgaon Residential Area, Bahaddar Hat, Bakalia, Faridar Para, Mother and Child Hospital Area, Agrabad and Shantinagar.
With the onset of the monsoon season, the situation is likely to worsen in the coming days as it is normal for Chattogram, the coastal town of the country, to experience a maximum of 300mm of rainfall in a single day every year.
In July last year, the city experienced a maximum of 292mm of rainfall in a single day causing a prolonged water-logging, Colonel Shah Ali, the Project Director said.
Even If water-logging is not completely eliminated this year the situation will improve somewhat, he claimed.
“We are paying special attention to how quickly the water can be removed after the rainfall.”
Mohammad Nazim Uddin (46), a resident of Muradpur area, said the road from Muradpur to Sholashahar via GEC Junction went under waist-deep water after the rain.
Under the project works of retaining wall construction in 36 canals with a length of 176km excavation, 85.7km road and 50km walkways along the canal banks, 42 silt traps, 48 bridges and six culverts, five regulators at the mouth of the canals, 10.7km new drains, 15.50km drain extension, 150 cross culverts and constructions of three water reservoirs are going on.
According to the CDA sources, the government has been asked to extend the project by one more year as it will expire next month.
Apart from this, the Water Development Board has undertaken the project of installing regulators at the mouths of 23 canals around the city and Chittagong Development Authority (CDA) in 12 more canals.
In all, a total of 40 regulators are being installed around Chattogram city.
Sufferings continue
Although 65 percent of the project has progressed, the city’s water-logging situation has not improved much, Chattogram City Corporation Mayor Rezaul Karim told this correspondent.
If the mouths of the canals are not cleaned the areas where tidal water enters also cannot be drained in time, he added.
“We have asked the project implementing agency CDA and the army to remove the barrier from the mouth of the canals before the onset of the full monsoon, otherwise the water-logging situation might worsen.
Till 30 May only 85km, half of the estimated canals - has been excavated and works in the rest of the canals are going on. It will not be possible to open the mouths of the under-construction canals where the regulators are being installed.
Project Director Shah Ali also said some other areas including Firingi Bazar where water-logging might be very severe if canal mouths couldn’t be cleared.
Explaining the reason for severe water-logging in Sholashahar and Muradpur areas of the city in May, he said rain water in the areas used to be drained away through Chashma Canal but now work is going on there.
Agrabad and Chaktai- Khatunganj water-logging
Agrabad and Chaktai-Khatunganj, the two main commercial areas of Chattogram city, have been suffering severely from water-logging for ages.
Chaktai-Khatungonj is located at the confluence of Karnaphuli River and Chaktai Canal paving the way for the tidal water to enter easily there. Excavation of the Chaktai Canal has not been completed yet.
The main cause of water-logging in Agrabad and Chaktai- Khatunganj is tidal water, said Lt Colonel Shah Ali.
But the situation in Agrabad could improve, said Colonel Shah Ali. “Hopefully we will complete the regulator of Mohes Canal very soon to prevent tidal water from entering into Agrabad areas this year.”
The work of installing regulators at the mouth of Chaktai Canal with regulators of other 22 canals is going on under the Flood Control Project of Water Development Board.
The project was taken up in 2019 at a cost of Tk1, 620 crore and it was scheduled to be completed by 2023.
Colonel Mohammad Kabirul Islam, the Director of the project, said some other complications, including land acquisition, are the major obstacles to the project implementation.
”With the support of agencies of the government, we are continuing our efforts to complete the work expeditiously,” he hoped.
