Tk 60b projects likely to solve water logging in Chittagong -The Asian Age
At last, the people of Chittagong may be free from water logging during the rainy season as the government has taken projects of Tk 6,000 crores to solve the water logging crisis in Chittagong. In every rainy season and even during the monsoon rain in Chittagong, people are suffering from water logging. The sufferings of the people of Chittagong due to monsoon rain in every year know no bounds.
"Prime Minister is taking Tk 6000 crore projects to solve water logging crisis in Chittagong permanently," said Engineer Mosharraf Hossain, minister for Works and Housing and a presidium member of ruling Awami League. Addressing a view exchange meeting with the journalists at Chittagong Press Club on Friday evening, Mosharraf Hossain MP said the government has prepared a plan to solve the water logging crisis in Chittagong. "We have taken projects costing Tk 6,000 crore to solve the water logging crisis in Chittagong permanently. The project will be sent to ECNEC very soon for approval."
He further said the government will construct a journalist's village in Chittagong under his ministry. The journalists can take bank loan for getting flat from the village at 8 percent rate of interest. Hossain met with Minister Sheikh Hasina along with CDA Chairman Abdus Salam and experts for solving the crisis of water logging of Chittagong, according to sources. They have submitted the projects of Tk 6000 crore. Prime Minister ensured allocating the fund in this regard after approval of ECNEC.
He stressed on the combined activities of Chittagong Development Authority (CDA), Chitta-gong City Corporation (CCC) and other government organizations concerned to make Chittagong a most modern and beautiful one. But, he expressed dissatisfaction over the activities of CDA and CCC in this regard.
He said government is working to make Bangladesh self dependent. He also described several development projects including the Economic Zone at Mirerswari, Karnaphuli tunnel at the view exchange meeting. President of Chittagong Press Club Kalim Sarwar chaired the meeting while journalist's leaders and senior journalists were present.
It may be mentioned that locals and city dwellers said that the port city of Chittagong has now turned into a place of frequent water-logging in the rainy season following a heavy shower even in the moderate rainfall due to faulty drainage system. Almost all the low-lying areas of the city go under water if the city experiences torrential rainfall. The rain water regularly is inundating the city streets by overflowing the drains, because most of the drains were silted up heavily causing disruption in normal discharge of rain water.
Locals also alleged that CCC could do nothing better to free the city-dwellers from the curse of water-logging. So, water logging makes the life of Chittagong city dwellers miserable as the roads and low laying areas inundated in rainy season in every year. As a result, water logging became one of the prime problems of the port city in rainy season in every year. Normal raining is causing the water logging in the low-lying areas in the city regularly. As a result, the city dwellers in the low-lying areas of Chittagong suffered due to the water logging in rainy season.
According to the experts and locals, water logging is one of the prime problems of the port city in rainy season in every year. Normal raining is causing the water logging in the low-lying areas in the city regularly. As a result, the city dwellers in the low-lying areas of Chittagong suffered due to the water logging in rainy season.
Sources said, the five kilometer long Chaktai Khal had been filled up with hilly mud and sands rolled down from the upper side of the canal. As a result, the rainwater usually over-flow from the canal flooding both sides causing immense sufferings to more than five-lakh residents from Bahadderhat to Chaktai areas. Besides, three canals Nasir Khal, Bohadder Hat Khal, Hijra Khal were fully damaged due to mud and pollution.
However, there is no drainage system in the port city Chittagong. Despite the Master Plan of CDA, no government authorities including CDA, WASA or CCC took initiatives to develop drainage system in Chittagong City for a long time.
Meanwhile, most of the drains in the city have already been damaged due to the unplanned construction and throwing the wastes to the drains by the city dwellers. As a result, the rainwater cannot be flown to the river due to lack of drains and canals.
-Nazimuddin Shyamol