Heavy rainfall paralyses civic life, port activities in Ctg

CHITTAGONG: Chittagong and its adjoining areas experienced heavy rains in second consecutive day Saturday. Torrential rains that continued to shower since last Thursday night reached an extreme form up to this afternoon paralysing civic life and business activities badly.
All 40 schools run by Chittagong City Corporation (CCC) forced to closure due to over night torrential rains. City residents were almost compelled to stay inside their respective residence since this morning, according to a news agency.
Meteorology Department said they have measured 236.4 mm rainfall during last 24 hours ending 3 pm Saturday which is a record rainfall of this season.
Offices, businesses and schools were to a slow start in the morning as most parts of the city went into knee to waist deep water.
Vast low-lying, residential areas, commercial establishments, huge educational institutions were inundated with the intermittent heavy downpour.
Movements of mechanised vehicles in most of the city streets were hampered and a good number of vehicles remained stuck up in the knee-deep water as rain water submerged those thoroughfares for hours that mounted the sufferings of city-dwellers manifolds. Officials of the Chittagong Port Authority said overall operational activities of the country's prime seaport remained uninterrupted but unloading of bulk cargoes from vessels and their delivery from sheds were hampered during heavy shower.
They said work of unloading the open cargoes and their delivery from sheds were stopped during strong rainfall to save imported consignments from any damage.
Chittagong Shah Amanat International Airport's traffic control room sources said heavy shower did not affect its scheduled flight operation excepting delay in arrival and departure of some flights.