In the port city of Chittagong, water-logging has worsened during the rainy season. Over the past 20 years, this problem has turned from bad to worse. Even after light rainfall, certain roads and low-lying areas become submerged, with water reaching knee-deep to waist-high. Chittagong, now filled with buildings, has become a symbol of relentless and unregulated urbanization. As a result, the environment has deteriorated to such an extent that the lives of its 5.2 million residents become unbearable every year during the rainy season.
Currently, five different projects aimed at addressing water-logging are being implemented by four organizations: the Chittagong City Corporation (CCC), the Chittagong Development Authority (CDA), the Water Supply and Sewerage Authority (WASA), and the Water Development Board (WDB). Over the past decade, development projects worth nearly Tk 1.2 lakh crore (12 trillion taka) have been undertaken in the city, including four water-logging-related projects totaling Tk 14,263 crore (142.63 billion). However, the problems have not only persisted but have worsened.
Two major causes contribute to the water-logging in Chattogram City. The first is the indiscriminate razing of hills, and the second is the filling of canals. When hills are levelled, the natural slopes disappear, and the resulting sand clogs the canals, reducing their depth and impeding the drainage of rainwater and floodwater. Moreover, illegal construction within the canal boundaries further narrows their width and reduces their water-carrying capacity.
Another critical factor is the city's deteriorating waste management system, which worsens the blockage of drainage systems. It is evident that the water-logging crisis in Chattogram is entirely manmade and a form of nature's retaliation.
So, what measures should be taken to tackle Chittagong's waterlogging problem? Recommended actions include: a. Preventing the destruction of hills in Chattogram City, b. Clearing the city's primary, secondary, and tertiary drains, c. Expediting the completion of under-construction sluice gates and regulators to ensure proper drainage, d. Cleaning the city's canals, e. Implementing strict measures to prevent illegal garbage disposal, f. Conducting maintenance dredging of the Karnaphuli River to maintain its depth and navigability, and g. Constructing pump houses at water-logging-prone hotspots
Md Tousif Raihan
Student
Department of Criminology and Police Science
University of Chittagong
tousif.raihan101@gmail.com
