Parts of the port city of Chittagong went under knee- to waist-deep water due to incessant rainfall since Thursday midnight, leaving hundreds of thousands of people in immense trouble.
The heavy rain has also raised concerns for landslides in the city’s Lakhan Bazar area.
The flooding caused severe transportation disruptions and traffic congestion across the city. In fact, there has been intermittent rainfall there since August 1, which intensified on Thursday.
Low-lying areas of the city generally get inundated even after a mild downpour and the flooding of the areas is a commonplace during monsoon.
The residence of Chittagong City Corporation (CCC) Mayor Rezaul Karim Chowdhury at Bahaddarhat, too, was submerged. The road leading to his house and its front yard went under waist-deep water.
Countless houses and businesses in various parts of the city were also inundated, causing significant distress to the residents and owners.
The worst affected locations are Bakalia Mia Khan Nagar, Masterpole, Chawk Bazar, Sholoshahar, Halishahar, Agrabad, Chhoto Pole, and Boro Pole.
The country’s largest wholesale trade hub, Chaktai-Khatunganj, was also hit hard, with water entering several warehouses.
Abdul Mannan, a resident of Bahaddarhat, said that they were suffering immensely due to the situation.
“Streets stretching from the Bahaddahat Water Development Board Road are flooded and vehicular movement has come to a grinding halt, creating long traffic jams,” he said.
Abul Kasem, president of a local trader’s association, mentioned that several business establishments in the Chaktai-Khatunganj area were badly affected, but the extent of the losses could not be determined immediately.
Assistant Meteorologist Ujjwal Kanti Nath said that 33mm of rainfall was recorded in the city in the previous 24 hours till 9am on Friday. The highest rainfall occurred between 7am and 8am.
Additionally, the tide combined with the rainwater contributed to the flooding, he added.
The continuous rainfall is attributed to low pressure, and there is a possibility of more rain for the next one or two days.
Landslides feared
One side of a hill collapsed in the city’s Lakhan Bazar area on Friday, resulting in soil cascading down onto a moving microbus. However, it caused no casualties. But the Lalkhan Bazar-Tiger Pass Road was blocked for nearly an hour.
Teams from the fire service and the CCC rushed to the scene, removing the collapsed soil from the hill.
The landslide spread panic among pedestrians and commuters since it is one of the major roads in the city.
Aftab Alam, a pedestrian, said: "The hill has collapsed due to continuous rain. The hill is already perilous. I walk through this road every morning with a lot of fear."
Agrabad Fire Service and Civil Defence control room’s in-charge, Jalal Ahmed, said that they received information about the landslide at 8:45am.
Two units from Agrabad swiftly responded to the situation, resulting in the temporary closure of the affected two-way road from Lalkhan Bazar to Tiger Pass due to the landslides.
The weather authorities have issued a landslide warning for areas expected to receive heavy rainfall.
Deaths from landslides in the hills in the city are very common. Low-income people illegally stay in the hills illegally. It is often alleged that local influentials, especially politicians, unlawfully accommodate them there in exchange of money.