Heavy summer rain has once again brought misery to residents of Chattogram, with large parts of the port city submerged as water failed to drain.
The situation persists despite spending of around Tk14,000 crore on flood mitigation projects.
Waterlogging began from Tuesday morning, with rainwater remaining stagnant in different areas for one to four hours. The water started receding around 3pm.
Water was seen to subside in areas including Probartak Mor, Shulkobohor in Muradpur, Chawkbazar Kanchabazar, Kapasgola, Katalganj, GEC intersection, Jhautola rail line, Agrabad commercial area, MM Ali Road, Halishahar, Mohra, Riazuddin Bazar, Panchlaish residential area and Rangipara in Agrabad. In some places, water reached knee level, while in others it rose to waist level, submerging roads, shops, homes and educational institutions.
At Riazuddin Bazar in the afternoon, traders and employees were seen removing water from their shops. At least 100 shops in the wholesale market were affected.
At Probartak Mor, chest-deep water inundated the main road. People were forced to travel by rickshaw, while other vehicles remained stranded. A similar situation was observed in Mohammadpur and Shulkobohor areas of Muradpur. Around noon, waist-deep water was reported on roads in Katalganj, with ground floors of several buildings flooded.
Vehicle movement dropped due to heavy rain and waterlogging, allowing drivers to demand higher fares.
Omar Faruk, a resident of Katalganj, said his child studies at a school in Panchlaish. He usually pays Tk60 for a rickshaw and Tk100 for an auto-rickshaw, but on Tuesday he had to pay Tk160. He also paid an additional Tk30 to reach his office after dropping his child at school.
Shahed Islam, a resident of the Probartak area, said he was stranded at three points due to waterlogging on his way to work. He had to take a detour of seven to eight kilometres, resulting in a delay of nearly an hour.
As of 7pm, rainfall had eased but the sky remained overcast. Traffic congestion persisted in Muradpur, Chawkbazar and Probartak areas due to waterlogging.
Assistant Meteorologist at the Chattogram Patenga Meteorological Office Suman Saha said 51 millimetres of rainfall were recorded between 12pm and 3pm.
He added that moderate to heavy rainfall is likely over the next four days.
A pressure difference prevails over the north Bay of Bengal and adjoining areas. Chattogram, Cox’s Bazar, Mongla and Payra seaports have been advised to hoist local cautionary signal number 3. Authorities also warned of possible waterlogging and landslides in Chattogram.
What authorities say
Officials from Chattogram City Corporation (CCC) and the Chattogram Development Authority (CDA) attributed the waterlogging to natural causes, claiming drains and canals are clean and that the intensity of rainfall led to the flooding.
City Mayor Shahadat Hossain said renovation work on Hijra Canal and Jamalkhan Canal under the CDA is ongoing. The work has temporarily obstructed water flow in some areas, causing waterlogging.
He said that although residents may face temporary inconvenience during the development work, it will help resolve the city’s drainage problems in the long term.
“Once the work is completed, there will be significant improvement in the drainage system and waterlogging will be reduced considerably. Around 70 to 80 per cent of the problem can be brought under control within the current monsoon season,” the mayor said.
However, residents have heard similar assurances before. The city has experienced waterlogging at least 30 times in the past four years. While there was some relief in 2025, the city faced flooding six times in 2024, 14 times in 2023 and 10 times in 2022.
Projects to address waterlogging
Four major projects are being implemented by CCC, the CDA and the Bangladesh Water Development Board (BWDB) to tackle waterlogging.
These include the CDA’s canal re-excavation, expansion and development project costing Tk8,626 crore; a road construction project along the Karnaphuli River costing Tk2,779 crore; the city corporation’s canal excavation project costing Tk1,362 crore; and a drainage improvement project by the BWDB costing Tk1,620 crore.
CDA Chief Engineer Ahmed Anwarul Nazrul told TIMES of Bangladesh that a temporary dam has been placed at Probartak Mor due to drain development work, obstructing water flow and causing water to accumulate in nearby Katalganj.
CCC Chief Conservancy Officer Captain Ikhtiar Uddin Ahmed Chowdhury said water flow has been temporarily disrupted due to ongoing CDA work in the Probartak area. Although water has accumulated in low-lying areas, it is gradually receding.
