Home ›› 05 Jun 2022 ›› Editorial
Waterlogging in the port city has been a nuisance and cause of suffering for some time, and this newspaper has been reporting on the matter for two years in a row.
Last year in July, the city experienced 299 mm of rainfall in a single day. This year, on May 15, 195 mm of rainfall resulted in waterlogging of several areas.
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 and the affected areas include Sholashahar, Muradpur, Chandgaon Residential Area, Bahaddar Hat, Bakalia, Farida Para, Mother and Child Hospital Area, Agrabad and Shantinagar.
In addition, water bodies and open spaces are shrinking due to unplanned development; as a result, rainwater cannot recede, causing waterlogging. In Chattogram, tidal water adds to rainwater. Moreover, a surge of water from upstream carries sand, which contributes to filling up the drains and canals.
In August 2017, the Executive Committee of the National Economic Council (ECNEC) approved the project at a cost of Tk5,617 crore. Although the project deadline is set to expire at the end of the running month, reportedly, only 65 per cent of the work has been completed.
The 34th Engineering Construction Brigade of the Army is carrying out the project on behalf of the Chattogram Development Authority (CDA).
The project aims to construct canals, drains, bridges, culverts, and clear existing canals. 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, which was taken up in 2019 at the cost of Tk. 1620 crore and is scheduled to be completed by 2023.
Chattogram is the second-largest city in Bangladesh after Dhaka, and as a port city, her importance cannot be neglected.
There are two ways of assessing the waterlogging problem, one from a resident’s perspective and the other from the point of commerce.
The locals have been complaining of the problem because they are often faced with waist-high water after heavy rainfall. Understandably, this impedes day-to-day movement, hindering everyday operations, ranging from traveling to transporting commodities. Secondly, the overall commercial operation loses impetus due to stagnant water.
The health aspect is another issue, which cannot be overlooked either because waterlogging creates the breeding ground for Aedes mosquitoes. At the same time, fetid water from overflowing drains can easily contaminate ponds or other water sources, leading to a dysentery epidemic. The safety around canals and drains, which is an integral part of the project, is also crucial. Several children lost their lives after accidentally falling into the water bodies.
While 65 per cent of the work has been done, an extension of the period has been requested.
It’s evident that by June 30, the work will not be finished, so an extension is the only option although the organisations involved have to be urged to complete the task as fast as possible.
In addition to large projects, the ward commissions of the city can adopt stop-gap measures to tackle waterlogging from makeshift walkways to the marking of waterlogged parts, which have large potholes.
The main purpose is to minimise the woes of the residents after relentless rainfall. With support from civic experts of the municipality, ward commissions can do a lot to ease the inconvenience.
From another viewpoint, while Dhaka has become the main attraction point for corporate affairs, Chattogram is still lagging in becoming a booming corporate hub. Consequently, jobs are limited in the port city. Once infrastructure develops, the port city can become attractive to multinationals and development bodies.
In the end, of course the mega project should be the top priority since it aspires to address the problem from all angles.
