Lawmakers from both the treasury and opposition benches on Wednesday voiced concern in Parliament over severe waterlogging and flooding in Chattogram caused by days of heavy rainfall, urging the government to step up relief efforts and address the city's long-standing drainage problems.
Responding to the concerns, Relief and Disaster Management Minister Asadul Habib Dulu said the government had allocated relief assistance, including rice, cash and dry food, for the affected districts.
Chattogram records highest daily rainfall in 42 years; normal life disrupted
The issue was raised on points of order, where MPs highlighted widespread flooding, landslides and the hardships faced by residents across the greater Chattogram region.
Before the Asr recess, BNP MP Sarwar Jamal Nizam, representing Chattogram-13, said his constituency of Anwara and Karnaphuli had been inundated following four consecutive days of heavy rain.
"The condition of the people is extremely bad," he told the House.
After the recess, Jamaat-e-Islami MP Shahjahan Chowdhury said large parts of Chattogram, including Lohagara, Satkania, Banshkhali, Chandanaish, Patiya, Anwara and Karnaphuli, remained submerged.
"I am from Chattogram. Today the whole of Chattogram is under water," he said, adding that people in the constituency of the Finance Minister had also been badly affected.
Shahjahan urged the government to distribute dry food among women, children, the elderly and other vulnerable people and to take immediate measures to protect riverbanks where erosion had occurred.
Another Jamaat MP, Mohammad Zahirul Islam, criticised the lack of coordination in implementing the city's waterlogging mitigation project.
He noted that a project to address waterlogging in Chattogram city had been undertaken in 2017, but claimed that the problem persisted even after nine years due to poor coordination among the relevant agencies.
He called for coordinated action involving the Ministry of Disaster Management and Relief, the Ministry of Agriculture and engineering authorities to achieve a lasting solution.
According to the MP, identifying and addressing key issues such as sluice gates, canal excavation and drainage infrastructure through an integrated approach would help permanently resolve the problem in the affected areas.
Replying to the discussion, Minister Asadul Habib Dulu said continuous heavy rainfall over the past few days had inundated the greater Chattogram and hill districts.
"We have allocated 200 metric tonnes of rice and Tk 1 million for each affected district. We also have packaged dry food, and instructions have been given to distribute those," he said.
The minister added that he was maintaining regular communication with deputy commissioners, who would distribute the relief in consultation with local MPs.