A bus tilts as it hits a pothole while crossing the flooded Chattagram-Cox's Bazar Highway in Satkania on Tuesday. Due to torrential rain and high tide from the Bay of Bengal, the highway in Keranihat area of Satkania and surrounding areas got inundated, causing immense suffering to travellers as well as local residents. — Focus Bangla Army troops have been deployed in Chattogram and Bandarban amid flood onslaughts as at least five people died and 0.5 million got marooned in the two districts following downpour across the country.
"The deployment comes in response to a request from the civil administration," FE Chattogram correspondent Nazimuddin Shyamol reported Tuesday, quoting an Inter-Services Public Relations (ISPR) release.
The Meteorological Office said Chattogram witnessed a record 664mm rainfall in the past seven days. The already-waterlogged port city may face heavy rainfall in the next 24 hours, which could trigger further landslides in the Chittagong Hill Tracts districts.
Road communications from Chattogram to Bandarban, Rangamati, Khagrachhari, and Cox's Bazar remained snapped due to flooding and landslides at multiple points. Rain and tidal surge have flooded the regional Arakan road, Hathazari, and Raojan roads.
Officials said the army personnel will actively assist the civil administration in rescue work, emergency relief distribution, providing medical services, and overall management of the waterlogging and flood situation.
Meanwhile, port officials mentioned that the rough weather was hampering the loading and unloading at Chittagong seaport. Additionally, the transportation of goods from the port and jetties was also being impeded due to 3-4-foot waterlogged roads and nonstop rain.
According to a special bulletin from the Meteorological Office on Tuesday, maritime ports of Chattogram, Cox's Bazar, Mongla, and Payra have been advised to keep local cautionary signal number 3 hoisted as deep convection continues over the North Bay due to the strong monsoon.
The forecast stated that squally weather may affect the maritime ports, North Bay, and adjoining coastal areas of Bangladesh.
Omar Faruk, secretary of Chittagong Port Authority (CPA), told The Financial Express that the loading and unloading of goods and containers at the outer anchorage of the port remained suspended due to the downpour.
The disruption is likely to impact the supply chain as commodity transportation from the country's key commodity hubs such as Khatoongonj, Chaktai, Korbanigonj, and Asadgonj is being severely hampered.
With rainwater spoiling goods at shops and warehouses, traders in Khatunganj and Chaktai had already reported business losses.
According to the Meteorological Office, most of the rivers in Chattogram and the southeastern hilly region, including Dalu, Sangu, Halda, and Karnaphuli, were overflooded due to the torrential rainfall.
Officials from the Patenga Met Office stated that heavy rainfall may occur in Chattogram over the next 24 hours. The heavy rains could potentially trigger further landslides in the hilly areas.
The heavy downpours have disrupted regular life in Cox's Bazar, Rangamati, Bandarban, and Khagrachhari. People are unable to go out for their important tasks as around 80 percent of the areas in those districts are under knee-deep water.
In Bandarban, three people, including a mother and her daughter, were killed, and six others were injured in landslides in Bandarban district on Monday and Tuesday, as reported by UNB.
Furthermore, road communication between Bandarban district and other parts of the country has remained suspended for the last couple of days due to all roads being submerged from the intermittent rainfall.
The hilly district experienced the highest recorded 268 mm of rainfall in 24 hours up until 6 am on Tuesday.
Power supply in the district has been suspended since Monday following the closure of a power sub-station amidst the flood situation.
Deputy Commissioner Shah Mozahid Uddin stated that 265 shelters have already been opened, as two-thirds of the district town is inundated, leaving 300 people marooned.
Another FE report from Dhaka said people in southeastern part of the country are facing severe sufferings as the low-lying areas of Chattogram, Feni, Bandarban and Cox`s Bazar districts got inundated in the last few days.
Office-goers and returnees, students, rickshaw-pullers, and day labourers in the capital suffered a lot amid torrential rain on the day as the day before.
Tuesday's shower caused congestion in places despite thin presence of vehicles. Some had trouble finding vehicles amid intermittent raining all day long.
The Met office had recorded the highest 203-millimetre (mm) rainfall in Bogura till 6:00pm on the day while it reported 41mm fall in Dhaka city.
Meanwhile, weathermen forecast the situation might improve as rain might decrease over the next two days starting Tuesday evening.
However, it says light to moderate rain or thunder shower accompanied by temporary gusty wind is likely to occur at most places over the country with moderately heavy-to very-heavy falls at places in the next 24 hour.
"Day temperatures may rise slightly and night temperatures remain nearly unchanged over the country," the forecast says.
The axis of monsoon trough runs through the Punjab, Haryana, Uttar Pradesh, Bihar and West Bengal to Assam across northern part of Bangladesh, it says, adding that one of its associated troughs extends up to North Bay.
Monsoon is active over Bangladesh and moderate to strong over North Bay.
In its extended outlook for another five days, the Met bulletin says rainfall activity may increase.
Officials at the Flood Forecasting and Warning Centre (FFWC) said the flood situation in the low-lying areas of Chattogram, Feni, Bandarban and Cox`s Bazar may improve in the next few days from Tuesday evening.
Talking to the FE, Mehadi Hasan, Duty Officer and Assistant Engineer, FFWC, BWDB, Dhaka, said there would unlikely be any flood situation in the north-eastern region of the country in the next 24 hour, though there is a chance of heavy-to very-heavy rainfall in the north-eastern and adjacent upstream parts of Bangladesh in next 24-72 hours.
Flood condition in the southeastern parts of the country may start to improve from Wednesday as rainfall is declining in the region, he added.
Meanwhile, FFWC in the 24-hour forecast said the Brahmaputra-Jamuna Rivers are in rising trend which may continue in next 72 hours.
"The Ganges-Padma Rivers are in steady state, which may continue in next 24 hours," it says.
All the major rivers in the north-eastern region of the country are in rising trend, FFWC states.
Citing meteorological agencies, the centre said there is a chance of heavy-to very-heavy rainfall in the north-eastern and adjacent upstream parts of Bangladesh in next 24-72 hours.
For this reason, all the major rivers--Surma, Kushiyara, Manu, Khowai, Sarigowain, Jhalukhali, Bhugai-Kangsha, Someswari, Jadukata--in the north-eastern region of the country "may rise rapidly" at times during these periods, the forecast forewarns.
There is a chance of medium-to heavy rainfall in the southeastern hill basin and adjacent upstream parts in next 24 hours, it forecasts.
As the tendency of very heavy rainfall has decreased, all the major rivers (Muhuri, Feni, Halda, Karnafuli, Sangu, Matamuhuri) in the South-eastern region of the country may fall at a slow rate.
In next 24 hours, the Khowai River at Ballah point may cross its danger level for a short period.
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