Low in the Bay causes heavy rains across country
Ceaseless shower overnight caused by a low in the Bay on Sunday took the lives of a mother and her daughter in landslide in Chittagong, marooned coastal villagers and caused water logging in the capital.
Automobiles in Dhaka and Chittagong were stuck in knee-deep to waist-deep water triggering massive traffic jams as vehicles had to negotiate through flooded streets.
At least two people of a family were killed in the hill slide at Tankir Pahar at Lalkhan Bazar of the port city. The incessant rains caused a portion of the hillock to slide on a makeshift home where the family lived.
The dead were identified as Fatema Begum, 42, wife of Abdul Mannan, from Karer Hat of Mirshari and her daughter Rehana Akhter, 17. Both of them worked in a garments factory in the port city.
Over 100 villages and remote shoals in Kalapara, Galachipa, Dashmina, Bauphal and Rangabali areas were flooded due to the heavy rainfall and tidal surges.
Around half of the affected villages were in Kalapara upazila as about 10km flood control dam got damaged.
More than 30,000 people in 20 villages of coastal Lalua union of Kalapara upazila in Patuakhali got marooned by three to five feet water due to heavy rains, report New Age correspondents.
The Met office recorded 154mm rainfall in the capital and 65.5mm in Chittagong, 129mm in Barisal and also forecast more shower on Sunday night.
It said heavy rains would continue for another couple of days due to the low in the Bay prompting them to ask maritime ports of Chittagong, Cox’s Bazar and Mongla to hoist local cautionary signal No. 3. All fishing boats and trawlers over the North Bay have been advised to remain close to the coast and proceed with caution.
Waking up in the morning, the first working day of the week, city dwellers found their city was virtually floating on monsoon rain water. The water also entered into many houses in the capital’s low areas.
Many city inhabitants were forced to go to their workplaces wading through knee-deep water and were late to attend their offices.
Vehicles at places went out of order as water entered into their engines causing huge traffic jams.
Incessant rains since Saturday night till Sunday noon flooded most of Dhaka streets, disrupted traffic system and brought untold misery to the city people.
The city dwellers complained that most of the drains and sewerage lines were blocked with garbage as rainwater submerged low areas and they were compelled to wade through knee-deep water in many places in the city.
They, however, blamed Dhaka Water Supply and Sanitation Authority, Dhaka South City Corporation and Dhaka North City Corporation for such water-logging.
Most of the major city streets were submerged particularly at Mirpur, Tejgaon, Rajabazar, Tejkunipara, Badda, Shankharibazar, Mohammadpur, Kakrail, Paltan, Mouchak, Moghbazar, Mirpur, Gulshan, Karwan Bazar, Dhanmondi and Shewraparha.
Commuters had a hard time navigating the roads in most parts of the city. Pedestrians were seen pulling up their trousers and wading through streets flooded by rain water and overflowing drains.
‘It took me two hours to reach Karwan Bazar from Mirpur, a distance which I cover in 40 minutes every day even if there remains usual traffic jam,’ said Nazmul Hasan, who works at a private bank.
People were stuck at bus stops waiting for the rains to subside while rickshaw and auto-rickshaw drivers had a field day charging hefty sums from those in a hurry to reach offices.
Razarbagh, Paltan, Zigatala, Fakirapool, Shatinagar and Segunbagicha roads were packed with vehicles for long and caused pain for working people.
Bangladesh Meteorological Department meteorologist Md Rasheduzzman said that till Sunday noon they recorded 154 mm very heavy rain in the capital.
The meteorologist said that due to active monsoon heavy to very heavy rainfall is occurring at places over Dhaka, Barisal and Chittagong divisions. Downpour may continue for one more day.
He warned that landslide may occur at places over the hilly regions of Chittagong division.
However, DWASA deputy public relation officer Zakaria Al Mahmud told New Age DWASA has the capacity to drain out 70mm rain water easily.
He said rainfall on Sunday was 154 mm and it was out of DWASA’s capacity though DWASA officials took special initiative by opening surface drain pockets, manholes and cleaning surface drain.
He said that by three hours the water would be drained out.
Zakaria added there were temporary pumps at four places, including Rampura and Janapath intersection, to drain out water.
New Age correspondent in Chittagong said parts of the city went under knee-high water due to heavy downpour coupled with tidal surge since last night causing massive sufferings to the city dwellers, mainly office and school goers in the city.
Activities of Chittagong Ports’ outer anchorage also got disrupted due the torrential rain.
Low areas of Bahaddarhat, Kapasgola, Badurtala, Chawkbazar, Muradpur, Baklia, Bogar Bil and Sulok Bahar were under knee-deep water.
Premier University student Kamrul Hasan of Kapasgola said a little shower forces the people in the area to suffer confinement at home as knee-high water gathers immediately.
Businessman Kalam Uddin of Chawkbazar alleged the city corporation did nothing all over the year to get rid of the water logging.
Activities at outer anchorage of Chittagong port got disrupted due the rough sea as lighter vessels did not go to the mother vessels in the roaring sea.
Executive director of Water Transport Coordination Cell Mahabub Rashid said that small vessels could not launch into rough sea as there was a possibility of accidents.
Meanwhile, Chittagong mayor M Monzur Alam and additional deputy commissioner HM Humayun Kabir visited the spot of the hillslide. Humayun Kabir said the administration had ordered the people to leave the hill slopes several times but they ignored it.
The Chittagong deputy commissioner Abdul Mannan on Sunday ordered to evacuate people living on the hill slopes at the earliest. The district administration admitted that at least 1,000 families were living on the slopes of 13 hills in the city and they were at grave risk during the monsoon.
Death toll in landslide in the city was 20 on June 17, 2012, 17 on July 1, 2011 and in the biggest disaster 127 people were killed in a landslide on June 11 in 2007.
Life in Barisal got paralised on Sunday as most of the people had to confine themselves inside their homes due to water logging and scarcity of transports.
People in the city demanded construction of town protection dam, excavating the canals and introducing sustainable scientific drainage and sewerage systems to bring an
end to the water logging problem.
The mayor-elect of Barisal city, Ahsan Habib Kamal said water logging in the town was caused by filling and grabbing canals and lack of proper drainage and sewerage system. He assured of giving top priority to solve water logging problems and constructing town protection embankment after taking over the charge of mayor.
-With New Age input
