Port city residents hostage to rain-fed calamities
Different parts of the port city were inundated due to excessive rain recently. (Clockwise) Sholoshahar, Probartak Moor, Mehedibagh residential area and Muradpur Road.Photo: Zobaer Hossain Sikder
Rain-induced inundation and waterlogging once again wrecked havoc on the residents and properties in the port city with the authorities yet to develop the drainage system as per the master plan. With the businessmen celebrating Eid keeping shops and godowns shut, the loss of properties in the rain-fed calamities of October 15 and 16 was far higher. The authorities concerned started pursuing development of a proper drainage system in the port city following the June 11 rain-induced devastating landslides and inundation that left some 127 people killed alongside causing huge losses of properties. But, other than launching a massive crackdown on the perpetrators of hill cutting and encroachers of Chaktai Khal, canal, a very little progress could be made so far. Chittagong City Corporation (CCC) and Chittagong Development Authority (CDA), two major government development agencies, were entrusted with the responsibility of restoring Chaktai Khal at a meeting following the June 11 devastation. Accordingly, CCC acting mayor Manjur Alam and CDA Chairman Shah Mohammad Akhter Uddin on June 18 jointly inaugurated a programme to recover both the sides of the canal stretching from Chaktai Chamrar Gudam to Bahodderhat. Under the programme CCC will construct an 11-ft wide road on 4.9km on both the sides of the canal. Progress of the work was not up to the expected level as the land is yet to be recovered at many points till date. Besides, demarcation of the canal bank reportedly is overlapping privately owned land, house premises or portion of buildings at many places triggering resentment among the many, said the local residents. CCC Executive Engineer Abu Saleh said construction of 11-ft wide road will be difficult without acquiring land as the canal hardly has land more than five-feet width at many points. "As such, we would now lay only a 5-ft wide walkway on the west side after recovery of the land at Tk 2.40 crore from CCC's own fund," Saleh said. The canal recovery has been suspended for a while and will resume within three to four days, he added. "After that we would go for construction of a 12-ft road on the east side of the canal acquiring land that might cost over Tk 90 crore," he said, adding that CCC was preparing a project profile in this regard. Acting Mayor Manjur on Monday said around 60% work for restoration of the canal and walkway construction has been completed so far. He said they need government support for construction of the road as it involves huge budget that CCC cannot afford. Meanwhile, CCC and CDA authorities said only restoration and renovation of Chaktai canal are not enough to save the city from inundation and waterlogging as the canal has no capacity to drain out all the storm water. They emphasised developing drainage system according to the Chittagong Storm Water Drainage and Flood Control Master Plan of 1995. The plan divided the study area of 92sq miles into 10 drainage areas on the basis of physical characteristics, topography, catchments and routes of existing drainage channels and proposed for developing the drainage system in five phases during the period of 1995-2015 at an estimated cost of Tk 750 crore, said the sources at CCC and CDA. The master plan suggested construction of three new primary canals and 30 new secondary canals to collect water from tertiary drains, rehabilitation of existing primary canals and five secondary canals, improvement of the existing secondary and tertiary drains and construction of 19 silt traps. The three new primary canals proposed in the master plan are Mirza-Chaktai Connection along CDA Avenue, canal connecting the Karnaphuli river with Chaktai canal at Chawkbazar point parallel to Khaja Road and canal connecting Shital Jharna canal (at Hazipara) with Uttara Khal (canal at Moulabhipara point) parallel to rail track, which also included Sheikh Mujib Road Culvert to be constructed by CCC. Taking 1992 price as the base price, the consultant Binnie & Partners estimated an approximate cost of Tk 88.70 crore for the proposed development of the drainage system at Sadarghat, Agrabad Commercial Area, Moheshkhali Khal, Chaktai Khal, Mirza Khal and Bakalia Khal under the first phase, sources said. Regrettably, eight years have been elapsed since gazette publication of Drainage Master Plan in 1999 with no visible progress for its implementation, they said. Due to delay, the implementation cost will now stand at around Tk 923 crore as against the previously estimated cost of Tk 750 crore while that of the first phase of work will now rise to Tk 300 crore, which was earlier estimated at Tk 88.70 crore. Quoting the 3rd interim report on the Preparation of Detailed Area Plan for Chittagong Metropolitan Master (CMMP), sources at CDA said with the increase of population and the vehicular traffic new roads and lanes were constructed while the number of canals remained as a long forgotten area where budgetary allocation was always poor.
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