The rain that started under the influence of Cyclone Sutrang decreased in intensity last Monday around 12 pm. However, until Tuesday evening, some roads under the jurisdiction of Dhaka South City Corporation (DSCC) were under water. Residents of those areas were mostly confined to their homes. They suffer a lot when going out.
Dhaka South City Engineering Department sources say that the agency has spent at least Tk 125 crore in the last fiscal year 2021-22 to resolve waterlogging. Another Rs 50 crore has been allocated for the same work in the current financial year. After spending so much money for years, the residents of the city expressed their anger that the waterlogging has not been removed.
Taufiqul Islam, a resident of Majed Sardar Road area of Old Dhaka, told Prothom Alo yesterday evening that it is not the case that there has been flooding in their area, even if it rains a little, the road gets submerged. They want freedom from this suffering. He said that till three o’clock yesterday there was waist level water in their area.
Sheikh Fazle Noor Tapas said in a press conference organized in May of this year on the occasion of the completion of two years of the mayor’s duties, “During the last monsoon season, he removed rainwater from the road within an hour and resolved the waterlogging. Now remove the water from the road in half an hour.
However, the water did not recede from Old Dhaka’s Majed Sardar Road, Kazi Alauddin Road, Siddique Bazar, Hosni Dalan, Syedabad Bus Terminal-adjacent Pump Lane, Julina Alambagh, Medical Road, Gopibagh Mitali Road, Naeem Bhavan Lane adjacent to Dhaka College.
Kajal Begum, a resident of Kusumbagh area, told Prothom Alo that there was water in their house last Monday night. Irrigated the water a little in the morning.
Dhaka South City engineering department officials say that the area around Majed Sardar Road is very low. An initiative has been taken to alleviate the waterlogging of the area through a project.
In December 2020, the two city corporations of Dhaka took over the sluice gates and pumps from Dhaka WASA. Sources in South City’s engineering department say the two sluicegates (Dholaikhal and Kamalapur) they got from WASA were not 100% functional. He activated it for a temporary period. The pumps at the sluicegate are also non-operational.
Even after 22 months of taking responsibility, the concerned engineers did not agree to answer the question why these are not being activated.
Meanwhile, the organization claimed that the 51 sluice gates that South City took over from the Water Development Board are not functional.