Rains paralyse Ctg life, 2 killed in Rangamati landslide

A landslide killed at least two people, one woman and a child, on Monday in Kaptai of Rangamati as torrential rains paralysed the life in the whole Chattogram division.

The heavy rains also brought the Chattogram city life almost to a standstill as most of its low-lying areas went under rain water, including hospitals, business houses, government offices and residential houses.

Rainwater entered the houses and business establishments of different areas, including the country’s prime trading hubs – Khatunganj, Asadganj and Chaktai.

Two people were buried under mud following a landslide triggered by heavy rainfalls in Karnaphuli Paper Mill area of Kaptai upazila in Rangamati district at around 1:30pm, said deputy commissioner AKM Mamunur Rashid.

The deceased were identified as Ujjal Mallick, 5, and Tahmina Begum, 25.

Due to the landslide, the road communication between Khagrachhari and Longdu of Rangamati was disrupted.

Patenga Met Office assistant meteorologist Pradip Kanti said that they recorded 136.2 mili meteres of rain till Monday 12 noon.

Heavy to very heavy rainfall has been forecast for parts of Chattogram and Barishal divisions in the 24 hours from 10am on Sunday.

In a bulletin, the Met Office said that the rainfall was likely to occur due to active monsoon over Bangladesh. Torrential rains could trigger landslides in the hilly region of Chattogram, it added.

Chattogram city residents have not had any respite from water logging as most of the low-lying areas were under rainwater because the illegal establishments set up on canals blocked the path of draining the rain water.

But, the Chattogram Development Authority has been implementing a Tk 5,616 crore project and the Bangladesh Water Development Board a Tk 1,620 crore one to end the city’s water-logging problem.

Few students could be present in educational institutions due to the rainfall.

Rain water entered the ground floor of the Chattogram WASA causing sufferings to the officers and customers. The CWASA has suspended the activities of the offices on the ground floor.

CWASA deputy managing director Golam Hossain said that they had been pumping out water from the floor.

As the maintenance work of CWASA was not completed yet rainwater filled up the holes    and many vehicles got into accidents in a few areas.

The ground floor of the mother and child hospital of Chattogram remained under water since Saturday.

The boundary wall of an under-construction building collapsed on Monday morning at Hemsen Lane of Jamal Khan blocking the movement of 40 families.

Kotowali thana officer-in-charge Md Mohosin said that the affected families called emergency mobile no 999 and police rushed to the spot.

On Monday noon most of the areas of Agrabad CDA, Badurtola, Prabartak intersection, Alongkar, Pahartoli, Bakalia, Chawkbazar, Mehedibag, Tin Poler Matha, Jamal Khan, Oxygen, Wireless, Guljar, DC Road, New  Market, Amtola, Kadamtoli, Saltgola, Sadargaht, WASA intersection were seen flooded with rain water.

In WASA intersection, Minhaj Uddin, a banker, said that he needed to go to his office at Agrabad but there was no vehicle available.

For half an hour he had been waiting on the road, he said.

Resident of Mehedibagh Rina Masud alleged that rain water entered their ground floor, which had never happened earlier.

‘What are the authorities doing with hundreds of crores of Taka in the name of the water logging projects? She exclaimed.

Knee-deep water inundated Sholoshohor and Prabartak areas on Monday.

Big tress fell down in different areas like Jamal Khan, Salt Gola crossing, CRB etc.

Due to incessant rains the Chattogram-Rangamati-Khagrachhari highway was submerged. Students, office goers, low-income people were suffering  a lot.

While the rain started in Chattogram on Thursday it has been intense since Saturday.

The number of public transport started decreasing since Monday morning.

Some private vehicles were seen stuck in water on different streets like Golpahar, Agrabad, Agrabad Axes roads and in Sulakbahar area.

The ground floors of most of the kitchen markets in the port city were also under water.

The district administration evacuated the people living in colonies near the hills of Chattogram University to shelters at University Laboratory School and College.

The local administration was seen active in different areas of the port city in removing those people who were living under hills or in hill pockets

risking their lives amid the risk of landslide due to heavy rainfall.

Already nearly 700 people have been living in eight shelters of Chattogram from Saturday while local councilors arranged food for the, said officials.

Executive magistrate Touhidul Islam said that they evacuated people from Kaibalyadham, Bishwa Colony and Jhil Par areas near Foy’s Lake.

Meanwhile, the loading and unloading from mother vessels to lighterage ships were shut down due to inclement weather.

Water Transport Cell executive director Mahbub Rashid said that nearly 400 lighterage ships had been sitting idle in the River Karnaphuli.

Chattogram Development Authority project director Ahmed Moinuddin said that five response teams from the Bangladesh Army had been working to lessen the sufferings of water-logged people.

News Courtesy: www.newagebd.net