Commuters suffer as Ctg city goes under water for 2nd day

Commuters faced severe hardship as Chattogram city remained submerged for a second consecutive day today (29 April), with heavy rainfall since noon triggering widespread waterlogging in low-lying areas, including the busy Probortok intersection.

The fresh spell of submerging came before residents could recover from yesterday's (28 April) ordeal, intensifying frustration and anger among city dwellers already grappling with recurring drainage failures.

According to the Bangladesh Meteorological Department, 23 millimetres of rainfall was recorded in Chattogram between 6:00am and 3:00pm today. Water accumulation at the Probortok intersection brought traffic to a standstill for hours, forcing vehicles to divert through the Chattogram Nursing College gate.

The Met Office also warned that light to heavy rainfall, accompanied by gusty winds and thunderstorms, is likely to continue until 3 May, with intensity expected to rise further from tomorrow (30 April).

Residents expressed deep frustration over the persistent crisis. Pedestrian Al Amin said there is little point in complaining anymore, as such suffering has become inevitable.

Toufiqul Alam of Chawkbazar said even light rain leaves alleys knee-deep in water, with overflowing drains pushing dirty water into homes.

Office-goer Mosharraf Hossain said he had to report to work soaked yesterday and faced the same situation again today, questioning the effectiveness of costly mitigation efforts.

Mayor cites project setbacks, apologises

During an on-site inspection, City Mayor Shahadat Hossain expressed regret over the public suffering, attributing the situation partly to embankments constructed under an ongoing waterlogging mitigation project to build retaining walls along canals.

He said the earlier-than-expected heavy rainfall obstructed natural drainage, but following discussions with the army and the Chattogram Development Authority (CDA), steps were taken to remove the embankments, allowing water to begin receding. The mayor also apologised to residents, calling himself the "guardian" of the port city.

Deputy Director of the Chattogram Meteorological Office, Md Abdur Rahman, warned that rainfall may intensify from the afternoon, with gusty winds and possible nor'westers expected in Chattogram and surrounding areas through 3 May. 

While temperatures are likely to remain normal, continued rainfall may prolong public suffering, he added. 

Delayed project, poor coordination blamed

Yesterday's flooding, which left parts of the port city waist-deep in water after just an hour of rain, has reignited criticism of the city's long-delayed drainage infrastructure upgrades.

Officials and experts have pointed to multiple causes behind the worsening waterlogging, including disrupted canal flows due to ongoing construction, failure to complete a three-year project even after eight years, delays in fund disbursement, poor coordination among agencies, and late canal cleaning by the city corporation.

The CDA launched a waterlogging mitigation project in 2017 with a three-year deadline. The project has since been extended to June 2026, with costs rising sharply to Tk8,626 crore from the original Tk5,616 crore.