Scars of flood coming out as waters recede in the southeast

After several days of gloomy weather and continuous rainfall that disrupted both life and livelihoods, floodwaters began receding in the southeastern region on Wednesday, accompanied by bright sunshine.
As the water levels dropped in districts including Chattogram, Cox's Bazar, Bandarban, Rangamati, and Khagrachari, residents reported a scarcity of clean water and food.
Meanwhile, the major road networks connecting Cox's Bazar, Bandarban, and the popular tourist destination Khagrachari's Sajek remained unrepaired.
Additionally, hundreds of thousands of people were left without electricity, exacerbating the levels of suffering. In many remote areas of these distant districts, the mobile network was also down due to prolonged blackouts.
Despite major rivers flowing just below the danger level, and while the meteorological office predicts improved weather conditions in the upcoming days, the concern remains centred around the continued monsoon influx upstream during the rainy season.
In Chattogram's Satkania and Lohagara upazilas, people were distressed by persistent rains and flash floods.
"No electricity, no food, and no water-the people of Satkania are in dire straits," said Satkania Upazila Chairman MA Motaleb. "Water is everywhere... people cannot access essentials as kitchen markets are submerged. Even though dry food has been distributed, relief items are yet to arrive," he added.
Chittagong District Relief and Rehabilitation Officer Saifullah Majumder stated that 310,000 people in 25 unions and three municipalities of Satakania-Lohagara were stranded due to the water. Due to the lack of electricity and mobile network coverage, it is not possible to obtain information.
On Wednesday, water also started to recede in Chattogram city, which remained waterlogged for around a week.
In Cox's Bazar, the flood situation showed a slight improvement in the past 24 hours leading up to Wednesday afternoon, as signs of damage became evident with the receding water. The flooding has caused extensive damage to highways, regional roads, and culverts. Embankments, houses, and businesses have also sustained damage, and seedbeds, crop fields, and fish enclosures were washed away.
There was no heavy rain in the district from Tuesday evening until Wednesday morning. Light rain fell in the morning, but it was short-lived. The Chattogram-Cox's Bazar highway remained submerged in water. Although the flood situation in Khagrachari improved on Wednesday, low-lying areas remained inundated. At least 900 families in three unions in Dighinala upazila were stranded.
After a week of continuous rain, the sky over Bandarban was bright and sunny on Wednesday. The flood situation had also improved somewhat. However, the entire district was still without electricity.
With no rain since Tuesday night, water began receding from various low-lying areas of the district on Wednesday. Nevertheless, most parts of the city remained waterlogged, with drizzle starting on Wednesday afternoon.
On Wednesday afternoon, Dhaka experienced a sudden downpour, causing public suffering. Particularly, people returning from the office encountered immense hardship as the nonstop rain for about two hours left several areas of the city waterlogged, rendering movement difficult.
The vehicular movement remained almost completely blocked for hours in various parts of the city, including Dhanmondi, Purana Paltan, Nayapaltan, Arambagh, Motijheel, Santinagar, Malibagh, Bangshal, Kathalbagan, and Rajabazar.
Shamim Ahsan was trapped in traffic for almost one and a half hours on the way from Dhanmondi to Bijoynagar. He mentioned that both time and energy are wasted sitting in the bus due to such traffic congestion.
According to the Bangladesh Meteorological Department, 38 millimetres (mm) of rain were recorded in Dhaka city during the last 24 hours until 6:00 pm on Wednesday. The highest rainfall was recorded in Teknaf, with 98 mm.