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A bridge over a canal and a section of road in Chattogram have collapsed due to heavy rainfall, triggering waterlogging in parts of the port city.
Amid continuous downpour since early on Thursday morning, the bridge over the Sheetal Jharna Canal in the Star Ship area on Bayazid Bostami Road, heading from Gate No. 2 toward Oxygen, collapsed and caved in a portion of the road.
This led to one side of the road being closed to traffic. Traffic is still passing along the other side of the road, but the rush of vehicles has triggered gridlock, bdnews24.com reports.
The bridge collapsed around 6am on Thursday. At the time, a strong current was flowing through the canal, which caused the bridge to give way under pressure.
Bayezid Bostami Road connects Chattogram to the Raozan and Hathazari Upazilas, as well as to the hill districts of Rangamati and Khagrachhari via the Oxygen intersection.
Several industrial establishments and educational institutions are also located along both sides of the road.
Rifatul Karim Chowdhury, executive engineer of Chattogram City Corporation (CCC), told bdnews24.com: “The bridge was built around 1980. It was made of old bricks and collapsed under water pressure. That section of the road is now closed.”
Visiting the site, CCC Mayor Sahadat Hossain said: “This is a 20-foot bridge. It needs to be upgraded to 60 feet. But we don’t have the required budget.
“This will cost about Tk 90 million, which we now have to cover from our own funds.”
He added, “The Sheetal Jharna Canal was excavated under the ongoing waterlogging project, which has reduced flooding. But due to soil removal from the bottom, the base shifted.”
WATERLOGGING AGAIN AFTER 3 HOURS OF RAIN
The city experienced fresh waterlogging following three hours of rainfall, which began late at night on Wednesday and continued through the early hours of Thursday, causing streets in multiple areas to flood.
Continuous downpour from dawn led to waterlogging in Muradpur, Bahaddarhat, Chawkbazar, the Chandgaon Residential Area, the Agrabad Commercial Area, the Halishahar Bashundhara Residential Area, Nandirhat, and several other parts of the city.
The city’s Ambagan weather office recorded 24mm of rainfall between 6am and 9am.
A total of 81mm of rain had been recorded at the same station over the past 24 hours.
In the morning, the roads in Muradpur were submerged due to a downpour. The nearby Chashma Canal was seen carrying water with a strong current.
As the canal overflowed, water spilled onto the roads, resulting in flooding.
The Swajan Super Market in Bahaddarhat also experienced waterlogging. Surrounding areas saw similar conditions.
Gyas Uddin, a shopkeeper at the market, told bdnews24.com: “The structures built over the drain here were demolished a few months ago, but a proper drainage system has not yet been built.
“There are still obstructions in the drain. That’s why the area flooded again today.”
Muradpur resident Mamunur Rashid was heading to his office at Dewanhat intersection in the morning.
“As soon as I stepped out, I found the streets flooded. I had to cross the waterlogged stretch with great difficulty in a rickshaw van,” he said.
Nandirhat Sahapara in CCC’s Ward 1 (South Pahartali) also saw waterlogging in the morning. Several sections of the roads in the area were submerged.