Chattogram dodges waterlogging despite 118mm rain

Mayor credits regular drain-clearing and round-the-clock monitoring for keeping the city dry

Chattogram has recorded 118mm of rain in 24 hours, with water pooling briefly on a few roads but no waterlogging reported anywhere in the city.

Water had gathered in a couple of spots in the Katalganj Residential Area and part of Prabartak intersection, but drained away once rubbish clogging the drains there was cleared.

Rain began falling over the city from Sunday dawn, picking up pace at night, and continued intermittently through Monday.

Mahmudul Hasan, the duty officer at Patenga Met Office, told bdnews24.com that 118.2mm of rainfall had been recorded in the 24 hours to noon on Monday.

The Bangladesh Meteorological Department's Monday morning forecast said a monsoon land depression was sitting over south Jharkhand and adjoining Odisha in India, widening the pressure gradient over the northern Bay of Bengal and adjoining areas.

"The monsoon current is active over Bangladesh and strong over the northern Bay of Bengal. As a result, moderately heavy to very heavy rainfall could hit parts of Rajshahi, Dhaka, Khulna, Barishal, Chattogram and Sylhet divisions," the forecast said.

Touring parts of the city on Monday, Mayor Shahadat Hossain said the corporation was working on a priority basis to build a waterlogging-free Chattogram, crediting regular cleaning of canals, drains and culverts, swift removal of obstructions to water flow, and round-the-clock monitoring for keeping the city largely free of waterlogging despite two straight days of rain.

He said all departments of the city corporation stood ready to tackle any situation through the monsoon season.

"The moment we get word of water pooling anywhere, the relevant team rushes there to act. We're working with the utmost sincerity and responsibility to keep residents' daily lives running normally," the mayor said.

He said fruit crates and polythene had choked the drains on roads one and two in the Katalganj Residential Area, blocking water flow and causing the pooling, adding that the blockages had since been cleared.

Alongside the city corporation's efforts, public awareness is equally vital to tackling waterlogging, he said.

Addressing city residents, the mayor said everyone must refrain from dumping waste and plastic into drains, canals or sewers, warning that blocked water flow raises the risk of waterlogging.

He instructed officials and staff to keep up regular field-level monitoring until the monsoon season ends.

Separately, Chattogram Development Authority (CDA) Chairman Belayet Hossain shared a video on Facebook on Sunday night showing water pooled on part of the road at Prabartak intersection, writing that the project director, along with the Army, had monitored the drainage system and water flow in low-lying areas late into the night to prevent flooding from the rain.

Water had pooled there because the drain's outlet was blocked, but it receded once the debris was cleared.

Following waterlogging in parts of the city centre after rain in the last week of April and early May, the embankments put up for renovation work on the Hijra and Jamal Khan canals were removed.