Rickshaws struggle to move on a Chittagong city road inundated by torrential rain under the influence of a depression in the Bay of Bengal on Monday. The photo was taken at Agrabad in the port city. — Focusbabgla photo
Heavy rains with gusty winds triggered by depression wreaked havoc in many areas of the country on Monday, low lying areas were inundated and fishing and other boats capsized in the sea and at least 75 fishermen were reported missing.
Fishermen were reported missing as six fishing boats capsized off the Cox’s Bazaar coast due to the inclement weather.
About 30,000 villagers got marooned in Monpura and Tajumuddin upazilas in Bhola after tidal surge breached the flood protection embankments there.
In Chittagong, two lighter vessels capsized at Chittagong Port’s outer anchorage while heavy winds got two other vessels aground.
The downpour starting in the early hours of Monday continued at night, caused water logging in the capital and the port city of Chittagong with several streets and the low lying areas getting submerged causing sufferings to the residents.
Commuters were stuck in traffic gridlocks as life and activities in the two busy cities abruptly slowed down keeping commuters stranded on water-logged streets for hours.
To keep appointments people had to wade through sewage mixed waters on the many streets, lanes and by-lanes.
Water logging brought vehicles to halt on the streets blocking traffic movement.
Patients remained stuck as ambulances could not reach them to hospitals causing untold sufferings to many needing emergency medical service.
Many trees were broken by gusty wind at speed reaching up to 60 km while their branches fell on power lines disrupting power supply to parts of the capital, the port city of Chittagong and resort city of Cox’s Bazasr.
The danger signal number three was hoisted on maritime and the inland river ports.
Fishing boats were asked to stay close to the shore.
Weathermen said the depression was moving inland and towards the country’s north-east.
The met office recorded the highest rainfall of 117 mm at Teknaf.
Chittagong experienced 82 mm rainfall while Cox’s Bazaar and Bhola recorded 68 mm and 48 mm respectively.
They rains were likely to continue until Tuesday midday, said weather forecaster Aftab Uddin.
Sadiq Hasan, who lives at Monipuri Para in the capital was stranded in a bus in a traffic gridlock for almost two hours on his way to Hatirpool from home.
‘I could not get down from the bus, due to the heavy rains and the streets were under knee-deep water,’ said Sadiq.
At the end of the office hours, thousands of commuters were seen scrambling for transports at every bus stoppage in the capital.
There were fewer vehicles on the streets.
It took hours of wait for Tuhin Roy to get a rickshaw with the puller demanding double the usual fare to take him home at Basabo from Rajarbagh.
Roads went under water at several areas including Farmgate, Karwan Bazaar, Malibagh, Mouchak, Kamalapur, Motijheel, Mirpur, Jhigatola, Rajarbagh, and Shantinagar.
The Dhaka Power Distribution Company executive director Ramij Uddin Sarkar said power supply to parts of Dhanmondi was snapped after tree branch fell on supply lines at several points in the morning.
Power supply was immediately restored in the area, said Ramij.
Our Cox’s Bazar correspondent reported that 72 fishermen of Chakoria were feared missing after six fishing boats capsized deep in the Bay of Bengal.
Cox’s Bazar mechanized fishing boat owners’ association general secretary Mostaque Ahmed said that locals rescued 21 other fishermen from two of the capsized boats.
Hundreds of trees were also uprooted across the Cox’s Bazaar district. Hundreds of makeshift houses at the Rohingya refugee camps in Kutupalong and Leda were destroyed by stormy winds.
Cox’s Bazar town was without power for 18 hours starting from 9:00 pm Sunday.
Crop fields in Bhola were inundated due to the tidal surge.
Bhola deputy commissioner Selim Uddin said the tidal surge damaged parts of the flood protection embankment at Rajapur, Ilisha, Kachiya and Doulatkhan of Bhola sadar upazila.
Many areas of Chittagong city went under knee to chest-deep water, causing immense sufferings to the residents, reported our Chittagong correspondent.
Severe water-logging occurred in low-lying areas in the city, hampering traffic movement.
Gusty wind disrupted power supply in the city.
Power supply in the port city suffered disruptions since Monday morning.
UNB reported that the body of a fisherman who went missing since a boat capsized in the Meghna River on Sunday was recovered on Monday morning. He was identified as Enayet, 18.
Source: New Age