Chattogram is home to the country's second largest city and main seaport. It has an estimated population of 5.2 million and has suffered from serious waterlogging and drainage problems for a long time. Due to heavy rains, these problems will worsen during the monsoon season each year, disrupting daily life and local businesses. According to calculations by the Planning Commission, the average loss in the past ten years has exceeded 2.5 billion taka per year. It has reached the point where it has even lost its life-in September this year, a 19-year-old student died after falling into a roadside gutter. This is the fourth such death in the city between June and September.

Unplanned urbanization is the main cause of waterlogging in densely populated cities. There are about 40 canals in the port city, which are called khals locally. Due to the rapid pace of space development, more ponds and other water storage areas have been filled in the past. As a result, water can no longer flow into the river quickly, causing urban roads and residential areas to be submerged. According to data from the District Fisheries Bureau, the total number of water bodies in the city in 1991 was 19,250. According to a report by the Chattogram Development Bureau, it dropped to 4,523 in 2007.

The main canals running through Chattum City are Chaktai Khal, Rajakhali Khal, Mahesh Khal, Jamalkhan Khal and Nasir Khal. All these canals play a very important role in draining rainwater to the Karnaphuli River in the south of the city. However, these canals have all been narrowed, and many have even disappeared in different places. A large amount of siltation reduced the water flow capacity, and the canal was also filled with garbage and solid waste, and it had not been dug properly for many years. The urban areas most severely affected by waterlogging are Bakaria, Chok’s Bazar, Agrabad, Khalishahar, Kapas Gora, Chandgaon, Shurak Bahar, and Baha Dakhat. And Probatak intersection. Katalganj and Firingi bazar, the two major commercial centers, are very vulnerable to waterlogging and suffer huge losses every year.

As reported by the news media recently, especially after the recent deaths-open channels pose a major risk to urban residents. In Chattogram City, four different agencies are responsible for maintaining and providing adequate and environmentally friendly drainage systems, including cleaning, canal excavation, non-encroachment and development work. They are Chatu Development Agency (CDA), Chatu City Corporation (CCC), Chatu Water and Wastewater Treatment Agency (WASA) and Bangladesh Water Development Agency (WDB). The level of cooperation and coordination between these city agencies is definitely not enough to effectively manage and operate the drainage system.

CDA launched a 561.7 million taka project in 2017 for proper planning and construction of drainage ditches to alleviate urban waterlogging. The start of the project was delayed by two years, and 60% of the work has been completed (Taka 27 million has been spent), and the new completion deadline has been set for June 2023. CCC also undertook a Taka-worthy project worth 1,256 trillion US dollars six years ago, and its latest deadline was passed last month. However, according to the "Daily Star" report on August 3, due to the complexity of land acquisition, project work had not even started at that time. The Water Resources Development Bureau (WDB) is also involved in solving the urban waterlogging problem and undertook a Taka 1,620 project in 2019, but it has just begun to implement.

Insufficient drainage channels will adversely affect the environment and public health. The well-designed urban drainage system in Chattogram is a necessity that we can no longer ignore. However, the waterlogging problem is not only a problem of the implementation of different development projects. Keep waterways clean, maintain water bodies inside and outside the city, recycle illegally occupied canals, and raise awareness of the value of properly disposing of domestic and commercial waste at designated locations instead of throwing them into the trash can. Water bodies and canals.

At the same time, the use of natural drainage channels and the construction of wide drainage ditches should be used as a strategy to deal with the problem of waterlogging in Chatu City. Make sure to use high-quality materials during construction to ensure durability, and keep the drains clean to avoid accumulation of water. The policy should be to build covered drainage ditches and follow a city-wide approach. The piecemeal method of drainage construction won't work in the end and can even make things worse. Proper planning to prevent indiscriminate urbanization is also a necessary prerequisite for ensuring a viable drainage system.

Appropriate design of drainage pipe network and facilities can reduce waterlogging. We should expect the city of Chattogram to have 2% to 4% urban growth every year, and we should plan the city and its future drainage system to cope with the growing urban population. Speed ​​up the completion of large-scale investment projects undertaken by the Urban Development Bureau, the Urban Construction Commission and the Western Development Bank to curb urban waterlogging. This would not be possible without enhanced coordination among these three organizations and coordination among other government service agencies responsible for telephone, electricity, natural gas and water supply, which have laid out routes through the canal. Last but not least, the annual budgets of these organizations should retain sufficient operating and maintenance provisions.

Dr. Nawshad Ahmed is an economist, urban planner and former UN official.