Sylhet keeps sinking as rains wash away years of spending
The Sylhet city authorities for over a decade have been sparing no expense in their battle against flooding from heavy rains. Yet, despite the crores spent, every downpour reveals the futility of their efforts, leaving the city of saints submerged and residents exasperated.
Sylhet experienced severe flooding for the second time in a week after a record 220mm of rainfall in just three hours on Saturday night. The deluge, which began at 9pm and lasted until midnight, caused widespread waterlogging.
Even Osmani Medical College Hospital and the Fire Service and Civil Defense Office were inundated, leaving patients in distress and the public in peril.
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The Met Office reported 3mm of rain from 6pm to 9pm, followed by 220mm from 9pm to midnight, and 34mm until 6am Sunday in Sylhet. However, the water began to recede after the rain stopped.
According to the Sylhet City Corporation (SCC), over the past 14 years, the city has spent Tk1,078 crore to tackle waterlogging. This year alone, Tk5.5 crore was spent on constructing three drains, with another Tk55 crore allocated for ongoing work.
Besides, several new projects worth Tk300 crore have recently been approved. The Water Development Board has also invested Tk55 crore over the last year and a half to dredge the urban part of the Surma River.
Despite this huge expenditure, Sylhet continues to sink whenever there is heavy rain, raising serious questions about the transparency and planning of these projects.
Citizens for Good Governance (Sujan) Sylhet President Farooq Mahmud Chowdhury asserted that the projects were not properly implemented. "What has been done with this money needs to be revealed to the city dwellers," he added.
Sylhet City authorities, however, said their projects were working properly and blamed overflowing of the Surma River for the recent floods.
Nur Azizur Rahman, the city's chief engineer, said the projects are proving effective. "Flooding occurrences have significantly diminished and water accumulation quickly recedes once the rain ceases."
Regarding the recent flooding, he said drains and gutters were choked with debris. Besides, the rivers and canals were also brimming, worsening the situation.
Azizur Rahman said cleanup efforts had started and urged residents to dispose of garbage responsibly and avoid littering in drains.
He also said it is necessary to dredge the Surma River and build a city protection dam to get rid of the waterlogging completely. "The city corporation is working on this," he said.
City residents insist that the waterlogging in Sylhet is not the result of rivers and canals overflowing but rather inefficiency of the drainage system.
Ripon Chowdhury from Shibganj area of the city pointed out that if the rivers were solely responsible for the water accumulation, water level cannot recede within a period of morning to afternoon.
"The river serves as the outlet for the excess water. However, the real issue lies in the drains, preventing proper water drainage from the roads," he said.
Saturday's heavy rainfall led to severe flooding in various areas, including Upashahar, Terortan, Dargah Mohalla, Jalalabad, Taltola, Jamtola, Sobhani Ghat, Shibganj, and Mirer Maidan. Earlier on 2 June, heavy rain also caused similar flooding in areas.
Ashraful Kabir, coordinator of environmental organisation Bhumi Santan Bangladesh, said unplanned development is "submerging the city".
He explained that canals and ponds across the city have been filled in, and large drains have been constructed, but insufficient space remains for rainwater to drain from the roads.
"Although some new drains have been constructed, they are often clogged with garbage, impeding the swift flow of rainwater," said the environmentalist.
There are 11 main canals (locally known as chhora) and 16 branch canals flowing through the city, all of which merge into the Surma River, according to the Sylhet City sources. These canals collectively span 110km. Additionally, there are 970km of drains, with nearly 60km being paved.
