Fresh Flooding in Chattogram Raises Concerns Over Tk 14,000cr Delayed Projects

Continuous heavy rainfall coupled with rising tidal waters submerged large parts of the port city once again, inflicting fresh misery on residents even as officials insisted the situation had substantially improved. The Patenga Meteorological Office recorded 330 mm of rainfall from dawn yesterday to this morning. The downpour turned low-lying areas -- including Kalurghat C & B area, Patenga Akmal Ali Road, North Patenga Dhum Para Road, Bara Dighir Par Hathazari Road, Muradpur, Bahaddarhat, Chawkbazar, West Bakalia, Katalganj, Kapasgola and Agrabad -- into waterlogged channels, with water levels reaching knee to waist height.

A local cautionary signal number 3 has been hoisted at Chattogram port, with heavy rain forecast to persist for the next 72 hours. The sudden inundation paralysed normal life. Office-goers and schoolchildren were stranded for hours as public transport disappeared from the roads and available rickshaws demanded double the usual fare. "There isn't a single empty rickshaw on the main road," said Mujahidul Islam, a government official from Chawkbazar.

"Last evening, I had to wade through knee-deep water just to get home. Surviving the waterlogging here feels like a gamble now." "Even a minimal amount of rain floods our ground floor. Taking my child to school this morning was an absolute struggle," said Md Habib, a resident of Katalganj. Fazlul Haque, a resident of West Bakalia, said he could not reach his office because KB Aman Ali Road was completely submerged.

Many schools in Chattogram declared a holiday for today due to the torrential rain and waterlogging.

Delayed projects

Urban planners had warned that Chattogram would face severe waterlogging this monsoon as four major flood mitigation projects, together worth more than Tk 14,000 crore, remain incomplete because of structural delays, planning shortcomings and recent administrative suspensions. The largest initiative, the Chattogram Development Authority's (CDA) canal development project covering 36 canals, has seen its cost rise from Tk 5,616 crore to Tk 8,626 crore.

Ahmed Mainuddin, executive engineer of the CDA, said the project is now 95 percent complete after its deadline was extended to June this year. Authorities are also seeking another one-year extension. The Bangladesh Water Development Board's flood control and drainage project has had its budget revised downward from Tk 1,620 crore to Tk 1,508 crore.

Borno Haque, sub-divisional engineer of the Water Development Board in Chattogram, said the revision reflected currency fluctuations and rising construction costs, forcing the agency to reduce the number of planned sluice gates from 23 to 21. The project's completion deadline has also been extended to June this year, with another extension until 2027 under consideration.

Another CDA project to build a ring road and protective wall along the Karnaphuli River has seen its budget increase from Tk 2,310 crore to Tk 2,779 crore. Project Director Rajib Das said the work, which began in December 2019, is now 86 percent complete and is scheduled for completion by December this year.

Meanwhile, Chattogram City Corporation's Tk 1,374 crore Baraipara Canal excavation project is around 95 percent complete, according to Superintendent Engineer Forhadul Alam. Although the Bangladesh Army's 34th Engineer Construction Brigade had been expected to complete the canal development project by June, work at key locations, including Hizra Khal, Jamal Khan Khal and Chaktai Khal, has remained suspended since April.

Project officials said the suspension followed a government directive to remove temporary earthen dams used during construction after they obstructed water flow and caused flooding in nearby neighbourhoods during early monsoon rains. Ahmed Mainuddin said the remaining work cannot resume before October, leaving high-risk areas such as Chawkbazar, Katalganj and Agrabad exposed to flooding throughout the current monsoon.

Engineer Delwar Majumder, former president of the Institution of Engineers, Bangladesh (IEB), Chattogram centre, said the city's expensive flood-control projects fail to adequately account for Chattogram's unique topography. He said high tides can raise seawater levels by as much as five metres, while many residential areas lie only two to three metres above sea level.

He also said the city has lost many of its natural water-retention ponds and 47 of its original 104 canals, significantly reducing its drainage capacity. While visiting several affected areas this morning, Chattogram City Corporation Mayor Shahadat Hossain said proactive drain cleaning and progress in the mega projects had reduced overall waterlogging by about 80 percent. Residents of the worst-hit neighbourhoods, however, said meaningful relief remains a long way off.