Waterlogging makes a comeback
Many city streets go under knee-deep to waist-deep water even after a little or medium scale downpour. The photo was taken from Chawk Bazar area on Saturday. Photo: STAR
With the advent of rainy season, people of the port city again started facing serious waterlogging as low lying areas go under water even after a medium scale downpour. Extensive renovation and dredging of over 100 canals that continued from December 2007 to June 2008 with the help of sophisticated excavators helped Chittagong City Corporation (CCC) reduce the waterlogging remarkably. Success in fighting waterlogging inspired the city corporation to start dredging and widening 144 canals in December 2008 to complete the work by April 2009. But, the work could not be of much success as the drainage system went back to previous miserable state to create waterlogging that was one of the major issues in the June 17 CCC election. Experts blamed absence of digging new canals and lack of proper maintenance and dredging for triggering waterlogging again. Engineer Ali Ashraf said development of drainage system and digging of new canals following the master plan could have put an end to the waterlogging. He said a single new canal from Sholoshahar Gate No 2 to Bahodderhat and widening Chaktai canal from Bahodderhat to Karnaphuli junction can remove waterlogging from a vast area of Sholoshahar, Muradpur, Bahodderhat, Bakolia and Chaktai. “In the master plan a huge stretch of land along the north side of CDA Avenue from Sholoshahar to Bahodderhat has been earmarked for developing this new canal,” he said. “Accordingly Chittagong Development Authority (CDA) is also not allowing construction of building on strip of land till date. So, the canal can be dug there only after acquiring the land, said Ashraf, also president of Bangladesh Institute of Planners and immediate past president of Institution of Engineers Bangladesh, Chittagong centre. Shahriar Khaled, member secretary of the drainage and environment sub-committee of citizens' volunteering organisation Forum for Planned Chittagong (FPC), also echoed the same sentiment with Ashraf. “Renovation and restoration of original state of existing and lost drains following the master plan is a must to put an end to waterlogging,” he said. “Besides, the authorities concerned should check construction of unplanned structures that stand in the way of widening and development of canals,” said Shahriar. He also emphasised creating public awareness and setting up more dustbins to stop disposal of garbage and wastes that block passage of drain water and contribute to waterlogging. They expect that the new mayor to develop the drainage system following the drainage master plan in coordination with other authorities concerned and involving experts. There is a master plan providing guidelines for developing drainage system over 92 square miles in the port city under ten drainage areas. The master plan titled “Chittagong Storm Water Drainage and Flood Control Master Plan 1995,” proposed development of the drainage system in five phases within the plan period of 1995-2015. But, ten years have been elapsed since gazette publication of Drainage Master Plan in 1999 with no visible progress in its implementation. Very little importance was given to planning and implementation of storm sewerage in city when primary, secondary and tertiary drains had varying sizes with no relationship with the catchments, they said. Around one-third of the city went under water during the monsoon while southern part of the city got inundated during the high tide even without a rain. When contacted newly elected Mayor Mohammad Manjur Alam Manju said canals were excavated and dredged when he was acting mayor in 2007 waterlogging reduced to a great extent.” “But, unfortunately continuity could not be maintained and the canals got filled up again. After taking the office I would surely make efforts to ensure proper excavation and regular maintenance of the canals,” he said. “I will sit with the experts and officials of CDA that prepared the drainage master plan and start developing the drainage system making coordination with all the authorities concerned and taking opinion from the experts to put a permanent end to the waterlogging,” Manjur said.
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