CHATTOGRAM, June 19: Incessant rains heavily disrupted normal life in the port city on Sunday.
The local meteorological office recorded 105 millimetres (mm) rainfall in the port city in the last 24 hours ending 3:00pm on Sunday.
It was raining when the report was filed at 8:00pm.
Earlier, 48.6 mm rainfall was recorded in the southeastern divisional city in 24 hours from 8:00am Friday to 8:00am Saturday.
Weathermen and officials at the deputy commissioner (DC)'s office said non-stop rains in the last three days disrupted normal life in greater Chattogram, including the port city, Cox's Bazar and Bandarban districts on Sunday.
Major parts of the port city, including its low-lying areas and coastal areas of Chattogram and Cox's Bazar districts and offshore island Kutubdia, Moheshkhali and Teknaf were inundated today. Heavy shower is continuing in those areas from Friday last till filling of this report on Sunday night.
The downpour heavily disrupted the port city's road communications with Bandarban and Cox's Bazar. The downpour flooded many upazilas in the three districts. Rain water and tidal surge submerged many parts of the Chattogram-Arakan road.
An embankment from Patenga to Banshkhali have been partly damaged.
Many areas in the divisional city have remained under knee-deep water in the last couple of days.
Many important roads in the portcity remained watelogged in the last 38 hours. The downpour also heavily hampered trade activities the the port city, one of the main business centres in the country.
Talking with the Financial Express Chattogram Deputy Commissioner Mominur Rahman on Sunday afternoon said evacuation of people from the city's hill areas is going on in full swing despite the rain.
At least 400 city hill-dwellers who were living on hilltps and slopes in temporarily-built houses in Firozshah Colony areas have been shifted to safer places in and outside the city, he said.
Earlier the district administration conducted aware-raising campaign to sensitise the hill-dwellers about dangers of landslide following Friday night's separate hillslides in the city's Akbarshah area which killed four people and injured 11.
The city streets took a desolate look today as rains forced people stuck at their homes most of the vehicles stayed off roads.
On the other hand, inhabitants of the city's low-lying areas have remained stranded at their homes due to inundation since Saturday morning.
The rain rendered many rivers of Chattogram division swelling and some of them overflowing.
All drains and canals of the port city became full to the brim.
Rains are not only causing inundation but also triggering flood in some parts of the city and many upazilas. Dalu, Sangu, Halda and Karnaphuli rivers were have started overflowing, submerging some city areas and many upazilas of Chattogram.
The tidal waters entered coastal areas at Halishahar, Anwara, Banskhali upazilas of Chattogram. Coastal embankments in Patenga, Sitakunda, Anwara and Banshkhali have been damaged at many spots.
Besides Chattogram, many areas in Cox's Bazar have also been flooded by rain water. Flood waters have submerged many areas of Cox's Bazar town, Rajakhali, Kutubdia, Pekua, Mongnama, Bodorkhali, Rajghat, Matarbari, Dholghat, Bondorpara, Sadna Dail, Chorpara and Teknaf's Shahpori Dwip and Jalia Para.
At least five km of costal embankment have been damaged in the three days of rain in the greater Chattogram. Hundreds of dwelling houses and Hundreds of shops and huge croplands have gone under water due to the heavy rainfall Chattogram and Cox's Bazar districts.
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