Committee formed to investigate the cause of waterlogging in Chattogram

TBS Report
Chattogram City Corporation (CCC) and Chattogram Development Authority (CDA) have formed a four-member committee to investigate the reasons behind the waterlogging in Chattogram city.
Hassan Bin Shams, the chief engineer of the CDA, has been made the head of the committee.
Rafiqul Islam, chief engineer of the city corporation, Lt Col Shah Ali, director of the project to mitigate waterlogging in the city, and Mubarak Ali, chairman of the waste management standing committee, on behalf of the councillors of 41 wards of the city corporation, are the members.
The decision to form the committee was taken at a special meeting held in the temporary office of the CCC in the Tiger Pass area of the port city on Wednesday.
The city dwellers have been suffering from waterlogging since Friday when the heavy rains started. 
Even after the rains stopped, waterlogging was seen in many areas of the city till Wednesday.
After the meeting, Rezaul Karim Chowdhury, mayor of the city corporation, said, "As per the decision of the previous coordination meeting, dams in the city's canals have been removed. Still, why is this waterlogging happening? People are suffering. A committee has been formed to investigate it."
He further said the high-level committee would find a solution to the problem. 
Within a week, the committee would find out what the obstacles were in the water flow of the canals after visiting the water bodies, he went on.
It would then take steps to remove all obstructions to the flow of water in the canals through a crash programme, he said. 
The committee would be assisted by all agencies, including the Divisional Commissioner's Office, the Port Authority, Police, and the Water Development Board. 
He hoped that the suffering of people would then be reduced.
"Any development work causes suffering. This time the sufferings were severe. The matter has shaken all the authorities. We have started working together to ease people's sufferings," said the mayor. 
The CDA, the City Corporation and the Water Development Board are implementing four projects at a cost of Tk10,921 crore to mitigate waterlogging in the city.
Of the projects, the CDA has taken the mega project of Tk5,616 crore. Bangladesh Army is implementing it. 
Under the project, out of 56 canals in the city, 36 canals are being renovated. 
Already about Tk4,500 crore has been spent on the four projects, but the situation has not improved. 
On the contrary, the city dwellers claim that it has deteriorated further.