Blocked canals leave Chattogram waist-deep in water after an hour of rain

Chattogram city went under waist-deep water after just one hour of rainfall today (28 April), once again exposing the severe weaknesses in its drainage system.

Officials and experts said waterlogging has worsened due to multiple factors, including disrupted canal flows caused by ongoing mitigation works, failure to complete a three-year project even after eight years, delays in fund disbursement, poor coordination among agencies, and late canal cleaning by the city corporation.

Soon after the rain began, major roads in Prabartak Mor, Chawkbazar, Katalganj, Rahmatganj, Sholoshahar, Muradpur, Agrabad, Halishahar, New Market and Tin Puler Matha went under water. In many areas, water rose to knee- and waist-level, slowing traffic and halting movement altogether in some places. Water also entered homes and shops, causing severe hardship for office-goers, students and pedestrians.

Officials said ongoing construction at Hijra Khal and Jamal Khan Khal has led to temporary embankments, obstructing natural water flow and worsening flooding in surrounding areas.

Experts questioned the planning and execution of the mega project. Delwar Majumder, former president of the Institution of Engineers, Chattogram Centre, said the delay in completing a three-year project even after eight years reflects serious negligence. He added that canal cleaning was not carried out ahead of the rainy season, despite April historically seeing heavy rainfall.

The Bangladesh Meteorological Department recorded 85 millimetres of rainfall in Chattogram between 8am and 3pm today. It warned that light to heavy rainfall may continue until 3 May, with gusty winds and thunderstorms. 

Prabartak Mor was among the worst affected areas, where roads quickly submerged and traffic came to a standstill. Residents said even light rain now regularly causes waterlogging.

Engineers said the project ignored key recommendations, including the retention ponds proposed in the 1995 master plan. Filling of low-lying land, blocked drainage routes, incomplete silt traps, and inadequate pump capacity have further aggravated the problem.

They also criticised the Chattogram Development Authority (CDA) for lacking expertise in drainage management and pointed to coordination gaps among agencies. Although the army is overseeing parts of the work, experts say structural limitations continue to delay a lasting solution.

CDA project director Ahmed Moinuddin said the project is about 94% complete, but delays in fund release have slowed progress. He added that water now recedes within 10-15 minutes in many areas, an improvement from previous years.

City corporation officials blamed the incomplete project for the crisis, though critics say delayed canal cleaning also contributed to the flooding. The cleaning drive, launched on 19 April, was not completed before the rains.

The CDA's waterlogging mitigation project, approved in 2017 with a three-year deadline, has now been extended to June 2026, with costs rising to Tk8,626 crore from Tk5,616.