Water-logging disrupts Rajshahi city life, agricultural fields damaged

Rajshahi city dwellers have been suffering heavily since Wednesday as most of the roads, lanes and by-lanes of different parts of the city corporation went under ankle-to-knee-deep water.
The farmers, meanwhile, were experiencing huge losses as heavy rains damaged their vegetable crops.
Overnight rains crippled the life in the northern city causing immense hardship to the commuters and city dwellers. The worst affected areas included Rajshahi University, Shadhur Mor, Baliapukur, Upashahar, and Shaheb Bazar. Vehicles were seen stranded for hours in unprecedented traffic jam.
Hundreds of commuters, especially office and school goers, were having terrible experiences in reaching their destinations Thursday morning due to unending traffic congestion. Many of them were seen wading through ankle-to-knee-deep water on the lanes and by-lanes.
Rajshahi meteorological office said that 112.4 millimetres of rainfall was recorded in 12 hours till Wednesday night.
Sapura Sarker, a resident of Terokhadia area, told New Age that after the rain the roads in front of divisional stadium became waterlogged. ‘A number of CNG-run auto-rickshaws had stopped working in the middle of the road creating traffic congestion,’ she said.
Debanjona Chatterjee Tanny, a resident of Shaheb Bazar area, said, ‘Two-thirds of the streets have gone under water in Shabeb Bazar Masterpara with pedestrians, particularly women and children, facing difficulties in walking down the streets.’
The worst affected were the thousands of slum dwellers and the people living in roadside shacks in the city. Day labourers were also affected. Shopkeepers told New Age that their overall sales had been frustrating because of rain and inclement weather.
Traffic was thinner than usual in the capital with a smaller number of buses plying the roads making it a heyday for rickshaw pullers who charged fares at whim.
Belal Hossain, who regularly uses rickshaw from Shaheb Bazar to Lakshmipur paying Tk 12-15, said that he had to pay Tk 25.
The city’s authorities however denied the situation and told New Age that they were satisfied with the speed at which the water was draining from the roads.
Rajshahi City Corporation’s chief conservancy officer Sheikh Mamun Dollar told New Age that the water-logging was not so acute. He claimed that because of their contingency programme, water was draining from the city streets within five or six hours.
Admitting that some backward wards, including 17, 18, 20, 24, were water-logged, he said that the water would drain in a short while.
Water levels of Padma and Mohananda rivers have seen steady rise in the last few days.
Moklesur Rahaman, a hydrology officer of Rajshahi Water Development Board, however, said that water levels of both the rivers had slightly receded on Thursday after water entered several tributaries and canals connecting the rivers.
Rajshahi Agricultural Extension Department deputy director Monjurul Haque told New Age that the rain had caused damages to a number of vegetables, including gourd, bitter gourd, aubergine and green chilli. ‘However, it will benefit aman paddy and jute farmers are happy as they will get water for rotting the jute,’ he said.