Incessant rains since Tuesday night sent low-lying areas of Chattogram city under water, causing indescribable sufferings to its residents.
Waterlogging continues to haunt the residents of the port city as its authorities have so far failed to resolve the protracted problem.
People living in Halishahar, Bakolia, Agrabad CDA, Bahaddarhat, Sholoshohor, No 2 Gate, Muradpur, Prabartak and Chawkbazar areas are experiencing the unusual waterlogging following the heavy rainfalls.
Some people were seen wading through knee-deep water to reach their destinations in the morning. At some places, the office-goers had to pay extra fares to reach their workplaces.
According to the local Met office, the active monsoon triggered the rains and that may continue for another two days.
“The rains may continue for two more days. The Met office recorded 28mm rainfall till 9:00am today, and this is happening due to active monsoon,” said Sheikh Farid Ahmed, meteorologist of Patenga Met office.
Idris Ali, a resident of Sholoshohor, said, “Just one hour of rain is enough to drown the city, and that’s because of the authorities’ negligence. I’ve been waiting here for an hour but no vehicle is available to catch.”
Female office-goers are the worst sufferers to reach their workplaces.
Garment worker Nasima Akhter said, “I’ve got stuck here in No-2 Gate area as all the roads have gone under water. More worrying is that the rickshaw-pullers were demanding excess fares taking advantage of the situation.”
In some places, some CNG-run autorickshaws went out of order as rainwater entered their hosepipes, forcing the drivers to manually push them ahead.
Minister worried
Local Government, Rural Development and Co-operatives Minister Md Tazul Islam at a programme recently said the authorities would soon take up the issue of reported faulty designs in the infrastructure built to solve the waterlogging problem in the port city of Chattogram.
“Issues regarding waterlogging in Chattogram will be taken care of soon in coordination with the agencies concerned, including the Ministry of Water Resources, Chattogram Development Authority, Port Authority and City Corporation,” the minister said.
