Low-lying areas of Chittagong city were submerged in knee-deep water yesterday because of heavy downpour, resulting in immense suffering for the city dwellers.
The showers that started from early in the morning yesterday turned into heavy rainfall and continued till afternoon at the time of dispatching the report, said Chittagong Divisional Met Office sources.
The met office recorded 227.6 millimetres of rainfall in the last 24 hours till 3pm yesterday, added the sources.
Iqbal Hossain, a meteorological assistant of Met Office in Chittagong city’s Ambagan area, said because of low pressure in the Bay of Bengal and merged with monsoon, the rainfall may continue for the next few days.
A special weather bulletin of Bangladesh Meteorological Department said deep convection was taking place over North Bay and adjoining West Bengal and Bangladesh coast. Under its influence, squally weather may affect North Bay, adjoining coastal area of Bangladesh and the maritime ports.
Maritime ports of Chittagong, Cox’s Bazar and Mongla have been advised to hoist local cautionary signal number three, the bulletin said.
All fishing boats and trawlers over North Bay have been advised to remain near to the coast and proceed with caution till further notice, the bulletin added.
As there is a possibility of hillside in the port city for the heavy rainfall, the district administration started campaign over loud speakers asking hill-side dwellers for going to safer places like nearby school buildings and cyclone centers.
Mezbah Uddin, deputy commissioner (DC) of Chittagong district, told the Dhaka Tribune that they were telling hill-side people to go away from hills to evade any untoward incident while his executive magistrate and law enforcing agencies are jointly conducting the campaign.
The low-lying areas of the port city, particularly Bakalia, Chawkbazar, Agrabad, Halishahar, Kapasgola, Chandgaon, Shulakbahar, Enayet Bazar, Boropol, Muradpur, Sholoshahar, Bahaddarhat and Probartak intersection, went under water for the heavy rain, causing misery to the people living in those areas.
Motor vehicles were hardly seen in those areas while rickshaws were seen running on the city roads. Commuters had to suffer through filthy water from overflowing roadside drains to reach their destinations.
People going to offices and different educational institutions mostly faced the problem.
Razia Sultana and her son and daughter were totally drenched while going from her children’s school to their home in Halishahar area of the city.
AKM Saiful Islam, an employee of Chittagong Export Processing Zone, said he could not get any vehicle for going to office in the morning so he was compelled to walk in the filthy water raised from roadside drains because of rainfall.
He blamed the poor sewerage and drainage system of the city for the waterlogging.
Md Saifuddin Saki, public relation officer of Chittagong City Corporation, said some area had gone under water, but the city corporation authorities were working to ease the sufferings.
Meanwhile, loading and unloading of merchant vessels in the outer anchorage of the Chittagong Port remained halted from 6am to 3pm for the heavy shower, said Mohibul Hoque, director (administration) of Chittagong Port Authority.
He, however, said other activities at the port jetties and yards continued normally during the rainfall.
