Heavy downpour halts loading, unloading at Chittagong port
Sunday, 17 June 2012
Our Correspondent
CHITTAGONG, June 16: Normal activities including loading and unloading of export and import cargo on board the ships in the maritime port have been severely disrupted and airlines flights remained suspended due to heavy rainfall since Friday afternoon.
Vast areas in the city including low-lying Chawkbazar, Bakolia, Mehedibag, Rail Gate No 2, Agrabad, Bahaddarhat, Kapashgola, Katalgonj, Halishahar and Nasirabad were inundated due to heavy downpour accompanied with water logging from poor drainage system on Friday night. Rural areas of the district also experienced heavy rain.
Chittagong Meteorological Department instructed the maritime ports of Chittagong, Cox'sBazar and Mongla to keep on hoisting local cautionary signal No.3. All fishing boats and trawlers in the deep sea have been advised to come near the coast and proceed with caution until further instruction.
Met office recorded 101.8-millimetre rainfall in 12 hours from 9.00 pm on Friday and said the next 24 hours might experience heavy downpour.
Many people in the city said they could not even venture out to the market Saturday to buy essentials and their places of job while some schools in the low-lying areas also suspended classes as water entered into the classes.
Water entered in-many shops and warehouses at Chaktai and Khatungonj wholesale markets, disrupting normal trading of essential commodities with a very thin arrival of customers.
Owners of make-shift shops on footpaths along the busy thoroughfares in the city also suffered a lot as they could not open the shops. Day labourers were the worst sufferers as they lost work on Saturday. Pedaled rickshaws and auto-rickshaws, however took the chance and claimed double the normal fare as mechanised public transports were few in number.
Elderly residents at Bakolia said they had thought the rain after severe heat-wave of weeks had brought them solace, but the incessant rainfall overnight had ultimately brought misery to them.
They said, the situation has turned worse due to road cutting as many roads and lanes in the port city are undergoing repair and development works initiated by Chittagong City Corporation and Chittagong Development Authority.
Officials at Chittagong Maritime Port said loading and unloading of break bulk cargo at vessels in the port berths and mother vessels at the outer anchorage remained completely suspended due to the incessant rainfall. Delivery of cargo from port was also disrupted.
There are two ships with break bulk cargo at the port berths and 14 at outer anchorage, which suspended unloading due to inclement weather, said Secretary of Chittagong Port Authority Syed Forhad Uddin Ahmed. Loading and unloading of containerised cargo in the port were normal, he added.
CHITTAGONG, June 16: Normal activities including loading and unloading of export and import cargo on board the ships in the maritime port have been severely disrupted and airlines flights remained suspended due to heavy rainfall since Friday afternoon.
Vast areas in the city including low-lying Chawkbazar, Bakolia, Mehedibag, Rail Gate No 2, Agrabad, Bahaddarhat, Kapashgola, Katalgonj, Halishahar and Nasirabad were inundated due to heavy downpour accompanied with water logging from poor drainage system on Friday night. Rural areas of the district also experienced heavy rain.
Chittagong Meteorological Department instructed the maritime ports of Chittagong, Cox'sBazar and Mongla to keep on hoisting local cautionary signal No.3. All fishing boats and trawlers in the deep sea have been advised to come near the coast and proceed with caution until further instruction.
Met office recorded 101.8-millimetre rainfall in 12 hours from 9.00 pm on Friday and said the next 24 hours might experience heavy downpour.
Many people in the city said they could not even venture out to the market Saturday to buy essentials and their places of job while some schools in the low-lying areas also suspended classes as water entered into the classes.
Water entered in-many shops and warehouses at Chaktai and Khatungonj wholesale markets, disrupting normal trading of essential commodities with a very thin arrival of customers.
Owners of make-shift shops on footpaths along the busy thoroughfares in the city also suffered a lot as they could not open the shops. Day labourers were the worst sufferers as they lost work on Saturday. Pedaled rickshaws and auto-rickshaws, however took the chance and claimed double the normal fare as mechanised public transports were few in number.
Elderly residents at Bakolia said they had thought the rain after severe heat-wave of weeks had brought them solace, but the incessant rainfall overnight had ultimately brought misery to them.
They said, the situation has turned worse due to road cutting as many roads and lanes in the port city are undergoing repair and development works initiated by Chittagong City Corporation and Chittagong Development Authority.
Officials at Chittagong Maritime Port said loading and unloading of break bulk cargo at vessels in the port berths and mother vessels at the outer anchorage remained completely suspended due to the incessant rainfall. Delivery of cargo from port was also disrupted.
There are two ships with break bulk cargo at the port berths and 14 at outer anchorage, which suspended unloading due to inclement weather, said Secretary of Chittagong Port Authority Syed Forhad Uddin Ahmed. Loading and unloading of containerised cargo in the port were normal, he added.