Multiple areas in Chattogram city were plagued by waterlogging as regular drain clearing activities have been suspended for much of the last one month.
Most activities of the Chattogram City Corporation have been on hold due to the political unrest that started with the quota protests over a month ago, our staff correspondent reports.
Following the ousting of former prime minister Sheikh Hasina and her Awami League government, the situation has been improving gradually, and the city corporation initiated a crash programme to clean the major canals in the port city, targeting two canals each day.
The programme started with drives at Chawkbazar and Shulakbahar on Sunday, while cleaning of drains in Katalgaganj and Sholashahar Gate-2 was scheduled for Monday.
Visiting the areas this morning, our local correspondent did not find any workers at the aforementioned spots.
“The CCC conservatory department was supposed to clean drains in our area today. However, no one arrived here since morning,” said Abdur Rahaman, a resident of Katalganj.
Overnight rain inundated the area as the drains, not cleaned for over a month, were clogged with garbage, he added.
The situation is similar in Sholashahar area, with city corporation workers being a no-show since morning, reports our local correspondent from the spot.
Many low-lying city areas, including Bahaddarhat, Muradpur, Katalganj, Halishahar, Agrabad, Bakalia, and Chandgaon, went under knee-deep water due to overnight rains.
Engine seizures in many three-wheelers and long tailbacks on waterlogged roads added to the woes of the locals.
According to CCC authorities, cleaning activities for today were suspended due to heavy downpours.
Soil, washed off slopes due to rain, sedimented in the canals, blocking them, as per CCC’s Chief Conservation Officer Commander Latiful Haque Kazmi.
“Workers could not work for 20 days due to the political situation in the country. We launched the crash programme as the situation is normalising. We started yesterday but could not continue today due to heavy rains,” he said.
Carrying out the work during rains would creating a menace on waterlogged roads, further worsening the situation, he mentioned, adding that they are planning to resume the cleaning works tomorrow if rain recedes.
The Chattogram Met Office recorded 124 millimetres of rain in the 24 hours preceding noon today, said its forecasting officer Jahirul Islam, adding that the downpour may continue for the next couple of days due to low pressure over the Bay.
The Chattogram Port has been advised to hoist cautionary signal no 3, he added.
