Heavy raining in Chittagong city continued for the sixth consecutive day yesterday, inflicting endless suffering on the people as waterlogging hampered educational and business activities.
Students and office-goers had to suffer a lot, as waterlogging situation grew most acute between 7:00am and 11:00am. Very few motor vehicles and rickshaws plied the streets under knee-deep water. People had to resort to foot and wade through the filthy water overflowing from sewers.
Dirty waters swept into some schools in Bakalia, Muradpur, and Mohammadpur area when the second terminal examinations were in progress in many institutions. Water reportedly deluged the ground floor classrooms of West Bakalia Government Primary School, Bangabandhu Model Primary School, Mohammadpur Government Primary School, and Muradpur Government Primary School.
Heavy shower also caused turnover to drastically fall in the port city's trading hubs of Chaktai and Khatunganj. Syed Sagir Ahmed, general secretary of Khatunganj Trade and Industries Association, told The Daily Star that normally trade transaction in Khatunganj stands at Tk 1,000-1,200 crore every day, but yesterday it was only nearly Tk 600 crore.
Bijoy Kumar Chowdhury, chairman of the standing committee on waterlogging of the Chittagong City Corporation, said the CCC will start excavating a canal from Bahaddarhat to Rajakhali immediately after the monsoon to solve waterlogging problem.
According to Chittagong divisional Met office, 178.4 millimetres of rainfall was recorded for last 24 hours till 3:00pm yesterday. Assistant Met Officer Nilufer Jahan said the southwestern monsoon causes the heavy raining. The downpour will continue for the next two days, she added.
Meanwhile Chittagong Port is advised to hoist cautionary signal-3. As the sea remained rough, the lighter ships could not go to the outer anchorage to load and unload goods yesterday. Hundreds of lighter ships stayed idle in the Karnaphuli River, said sources in the port.
Secretary of Chittagong Port Authority (CPA) Syed Farhad Uddin Ahmed said unloading of bulk cargoes carrying food grains remained suspended due to heavy shower. The importers, in fact, did not agree to unload the food grains, he said.
The port city returned to normal situation in the afternoon as water receded from the streets.
Source : The Daily Star
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