The tourist city of Cox’s Bazar has been submerged in heavy rain. 90 percent of the city is submerged. At least 35 side roads including the main road and beach road have been submerged in rain water and the goods of hundreds of shops have been destroyed.
Thousands of houses were submerged in water. People have to suffer due to traffic stop on the road. 18 roads in the hotel motel zone on the beach have been submerged due to flooding. Thousands of tourists in more than five hundred hotels and motels are stranded.
Local public representatives and local residents said that the rain started from 9 am on Thursday, but the heavy rain started from 12:30 pm. After that, heavy rain for 12 hours till 12:30 pm stopped the work life of eight lakh people of the entire city. No one has seen such heavy rainfall in the last 50 years.
The city’s busiest five-kilometer main road is also submerged in water. Several hundreds of shops, offices-courts and businesses in Kalatali, Sugandha, Bazarghata, Barabazar, Anderson Road, Tekpara, Burmese Market area, Buddhmandir Road, Goldighirpar, Tarabniachara, Rumaliachara have accumulated rain water. Thousands of houses were submerged in water.
Mufizur Rahman (55), a resident of Baharchhara area and central leader of Jatiya Party, said that he had never seen such heavy rain in his life. In the monsoon, the entire baharchara including his homestead has been submerged.
Hundreds of houses in Samitipara, Qutubdiapara, Fadnardale, Mostaikapara, Bandarpara, North Nuniachha of Ward No. 1 of the municipality have been submerged in rain water.
Akhtar Kamal, councilor of Ward No. 1, said that if the heavy rains continue, at least 10,000 houses in this ward will be submerged. At least 70 thousand climate refugees and floating workers live in this ward. Thousands of people are facing shortage of food and drinking water as cooking is stopped.
At least 23 by-roads are submerged in some areas including Pahartali, Baidyaghona, Ghonarpara, Badshaghona, Khaja Manzil, Lighthouse, Kalatali, Central Bus Terminal, Larpara of wards 6, 7, 8 and 9 of the municipality. Shafiqul Islam, a businessman in Pahartali area, said that three roads of Pahartali have been submerged in the water of the hill, and water has entered hundreds of houses and five educational institutions. Women and children are suffering a lot.
Cox’s Bazar Hotel Motel Guest House Owners Association President Abul Kashem Sikdar said that waterlogging occurs in the hotel motel zone only when it rains heavily. Then there is the suffering of tourists, there is a slowdown in trade and commerce. Rain water cannot go down to the sea and rivers quickly because the soil of the mountain cut down and filled the canal. Hence waterlogging is occurring. There were several heavy rains in last July as well. There was still flooding across the city.
Ayachur Rahman, a resident of Tarabuniachara and a senior lawyer in the city, said that after the fall of the Awami League government on August 5, most of the councilors including the mayor of the municipality went into hiding. The city’s drains are full of garbage. Due to heavy rains and the water coming down from the mountains, the water cannot go down through the drains, so waterlogging has occurred all over the city. Common people are suffering due to road traffic being stopped.
Sadar’s Jhilongja, Upazila Gate, Banglabazar, Moktarkul, Dikkul and lower areas of PMkhali have been submerged. At least 40 grams have been submerged in Dakshin Mitachhari, Khunia Palong, Ukhia Upazila Haldia Palong, Jalia Palong, Ratna Palong Rajapalong and Palongkhali Union of Ramu Upazila. Haldia Palong, Jalia Palong, Ratna Palong, Rajapalong and Palongkhali union have submerged at least 30 grams.
Aman farming, crops and water crops in these areas are suffering huge losses. Houses have been destroyed by strong winds.
Rural internal communication system has been destroyed. Sinking of ponds and projects caused irreparable damage to fisheries. So far, lakhs of people in the coastal areas of the district are in watertight condition. In this situation, it has been alleged that the people of Durgat area did not get any visible help.
Meanwhile, the fear of landslides has increased due to heavy rains. Meanwhile, 6 members of two families have died in separate incidents of landslides in South Dikkul of Cox’s Bazar Sadar and Hakimpara Camp No. 14 of Ukhia on Friday morning. Due to continuous heavy rains across the district, concerned people are fearing fresh floods and landslides.
Abdul Mannan, assistant meteorologist of Meteorological Department, Cox’s Bazar, said that 501 mm of rain has been recorded in the last 24 hours. Which surpassed all previous records. Also, wind intensity will be high which may increase upto 60 km in the form of gust or gale.
Cox’s Bazar Additional District Commissioner Vibhishan Kanti Das said that the district administration has given financial assistance of 75 thousand rupees to the families of the three deceased in Jhelongja on Friday morning. People are being evacuated from dangerous locations in the mountains. Four separate teams are fielded under the leadership of the Magistrate.
Source: dainikazadi.net
