CHATTOGRAM, July 09: Traders at the major business hubs in Chattogram were the worse sufferers than others on Tuesday as their business centres went under knee-deep rainwater.
The important business hubs like those at Chaktai, Khatunganj, Asadganj, Bohaddarhat, Muradpur, etc. were affected by waterlogging caused by the rainwater.
To address the problem, the leaders of the Chaktai Khatunganj Merchant Welfare Association demanded removal of illegal establishments from the banks of the Chaktai canal, the source of sorrow for Chattogram dwellers.
They also demanded dredging of the canal and a halt to dumping of waste into it.
The local meteorological department recorded a total of 108.4 mm of rainfall in last 24 hours ending at 12:00 pm on Tuesday.
The duty officer at the Patenga Met office said the rough weather might continue for next several days.
Sources said loading and unloading at the outer anchorage of the Chattogram seaport had been disrupted for the fourth consecutive day on Tuesday due to the rough weather.
Sources said a total of 42 ships were waiting at the outer anchorage on the day. But, the loading and unloading of goods including clinker and food grains remained stopped.
Chaktai Khatunganj Merchant Welfare Association President Solaiman Badsha said, "The prime business hubs of the country -- Chaktai, Khatunganj, Asadganj, Korbaniganj -- are facing waterlogging due to the monsoon rain."
"But the authorities including the Chittagong City Corporation, the district administration and the Chittagong Development Authority (CDA) are not taking any visible step till now to spare the businessmen their sufferings from waterlogging," he added.
Locals and city dwellers said the port city became a place of frequent waterlogging in the rainy season due to its faulty drainage system.
The rainwater was regularly inundating the city streets, as most of the drains were clogged.
Locals alleged that the Chittagong City Corporation (CCC) could do nothing to free the city-dwellers from the curse of waterlogging.
Rowshan Ara, a schoolteacher, said, "A normal level of rainfall causes waterlogging in the low-lying areas of the city regularly. It took almost more than one hour to drain out water from the city roads."
"But many of the places were under water until late night, though workers of the city corporation started their work to free the city from waterlogging."
Sources said the five-kilometre-long Chaktai canal has been clogged with mud and sand rolling down from the upstream area of it. As a result, the rainwater inundates both sides of the canal causing immense sufferings to more than 500 thousand (five lakh) residents living in the area from Bahadderhat to Chaktai.
Besides, three canals -- Nasir Khal, Bohadder Hat Khal, Hijra Khal -- are also clogged.
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