‘I can’t stand this suffering any more,’ say Sylhet residents amid repeated waterlogging

Residents are facing waterlogging once again as rain, mountain runoff inundate the city

“The house is flooded every few days. It’s gotten so bad that my family will have to move elsewhere,” says Kamala Rani Deb, a resident of Sylhet city’s Jatarpur area.

Her distress was apparent.

Three hours of heavy rains since Monday morning have flooded various low-lying parts of the city. The water had risen to knee or even waist-high in parts of the city.

Many houses have been flooded, triggering an acute crisis for residents.

Kamala Rani is one such resident.

“I can’t stand this suffering any more. Nobody cares about our anguish.”

In addition to Jatanpur, rainwater also accumulated in the city’s Pathantula, Bornomala Point, Bagbari, Dargah Mohalla, Upashahar, Teroratan, Masimpur, Taltala and Sheikhpara areas.

Around 136 mm of rainfall was recorded in Sylhet from 6am to 9am on Monday, according to Shah Md Shajib Hossain, assistant meteorologist at the Sylhet Met Office.

Earlier on Saturday night, the rain triggered flooding in different parts of the city.

Meteorologist Hossain said 44 mm of rain had been recorded in the district in the past 24 hours.

Sylhet City Corporation spokesman Sajlu Lashkar said, “You shouldn’t call this situation waterlogging. The water accumulated in different areas due to the heavy downpour. The Surma River is also brimming due to downstream flows from the mountains.”

“The water is unable to move down the city’s streams and canals to the river. That’s why the low-lying areas of the city are being waterlogged by the rain.”