A night of continuous rainfall has left several important areas of Feni town submerged.
Roads such as Shaheed Kaiser Road, Nazir Road, Pathan Bari Road, Old Police Quarters, Mizan Road and Jail Road were underwater on Tuesday, with water levels reaching from knee to waist height.
Md Mojibur Rahman from the Feni met office said the district has been experiencing moderate to heavy rainfall for two consecutive days.
Till noon, 347mm of rainfall had been recorded, the highest in the current season, he added.
Rain is expected to continue across the district for the next two to three days.
The downpour has caused severe waterlogging in residential areas, marketplaces and roads.
Reports indicate that low-lying areas such as Charipur and Rampura, along with major roads, are submerged, significantly disrupting daily life.
Local resident Mahbubur Rahman said: “This happens every monsoon. The drainage system has been neglected for years. There is no permanent solution.”
Experts attribute the worsening waterlogging in Feni to three primary factors: unplanned urban development, inadequate drainage infrastructure and a lack of regular maintenance.
A Feni municipality official, speaking on condition of anonymity, told Bangla Tribune that while some new drains have been constructed, the older ones have not been repaired for years.
Regular cleaning of drains and sewers is also largely absent, they added.
Due to the waterlogging, academic and examination activities in many schools were suspended for the day.
Water entered markets, damaging goods and causing financial losses to shopkeepers.
Shopkeeper Saiful said: “Just two hours of rain, and my entire shop went underwater. No one comes to help, let alone offer support.”
Social media platforms, including Facebook, saw an outpouring of public frustration.
One citizen wrote: “Feni town floods every time it rains. This is not a natural disaster—this is the result of long-standing mismanagement.”
Residents argued that the issue requires not just short-term measures, but long-term planning and practical urban development strategies.
Feni Municipality Administrator Abdul Baten said emergency cleaning operations have already begun.
He added: "In addition to clearing the drains, necessary steps are being taken to ensure proper water drainage."
He mentioned that a comprehensive and modern drainage master plan is currently being formulated.
“Once implemented, such incidents of waterlogging will no longer occur in the future,” he assured locals.