The recent heavy downpour and onrush of water from upstream coupled with the latest flood situation across the country has taken a severe turn affecting millions of people.
Millions of people have become stuck in the flood water while thousands of houses, business establishments and educational institutions have been submerged. Such scenario is mostly observed in Chattogram division where many roads, culverts and crop lands have been flooded.
Reports say more than six people were killed and many others were injured due to landslides in Chattogram, Cox'sbazar and Bandarban districts.
Transportation and communication between Chattogram and three other hilly districts remained suspended as the railway tracks and roads went under the water in multiple places.
Besides, power supply in most of the areas remained off as electric polls were damaged due to the landslaide.
In the situation Army personnel have been deployed to rescue anyone affected by the flood water and landslide.
Besides, in the situation, the authorities concerned have declared all the educational institutions closed for two days.
Like in Chattogram, flood situation in Barishal, Noakhali, Feni and the country’s northern districts has also deteriorated as water level has been rising gradually.
According to local sources, most of the roads and highways and also the railway tracks went under the water leaving entire Chattogram cut off from Cox’s Bazar and Bandarban districts.
Water started rising on the roads from Chandanish College Gate area to Keranihat section from Monday night. Traffic jams occurred on the highway at night. Traffic came to a virtual standstill situation since Monday.
On Tuesday, water was seen accumulating in the roundabout on the Satkania Keranihat section of the road. Travelers traveling on Chittagong-Bandarban road also have to travel through this intersection.
Dohazari Highway Police Officer-in-Charge (OC) Khan Md Irfan said that water rose in parts from Chandnaish Bagicharhat to Dewanhat Jasim Convention and from the mouth of Nayakhal to the head of Satkania road. Traffic movement has been suspended since the morning.
Chittagong District Relief and Rehabilitation Officer Md Saifullah Majumder said, "Due to the water, vehicles are not able to move in Satkania and Chandanish sections of Chittagong Cox's Bazar highway and Chittagong Bandarban road."
Local people said that, vehicles cannot run due to water on the roads. Thousands of vehicles remained stuck on both the roadsides.
Meanwhile, most of the unions and villages of Satkania and Chandnaish upazilas in the south of Chittagong have already been submerged by the water.
On the other hand, as the sea is rough, the transportation of goods from large ships to small ships at the outer anchorage of Chittagong Port remained suspended. The queues of ships carrying imported goods at sea are getting longer.
At present there are 63 cargo ships at the outer anchorage of Chittagong port.
Chittagong Deputy commissioner Abul Bashar Mohammad Fakhruzzaman said that the army and navy have been contacting rescue operations and providing aids to the flood-affected people in Satkania and Lohagara upazilas.
District Administration Executive Magistrate Hussain Muhammad said that the administration's relief distribution program was going on in various flood-affected areas. Besides, those living at risk in the foothills of the city were being evacuated to safe places.
Heavy rainfalls and landslides have severely damaged electricity poles in 8 upazilas of Chittagong. Therefore, electricity supply in these areas remained off leaving millions of people into darkness.
In Cox’s Bazar, after Bandarban, road communication of Cox's Bazar with the other parts of the country has been snapped since Tuesday morning amid incessant rain and the onrush of water from the hilly region, leading to flash floods at different points.
Road communication has been cut off because of the flood that submerged the Chattogram-Cox's Bazar highway in Hasimpur area of Chandanaish, said Mohammad Abdul Jobbar Chawdhury, chairman of Chandanaish upazila.
This highway has also been inundated in two other areas, Satkania in Chattogram and Chakaria of Cox's Bazar, he said.
Saiful Islam, member secretary of Cox's Bazar Bus Counter Owner-Manager Association, said, "The buses that left Cox's Bazar for Dhaka last night, got stuck in Chandanaish but managed to cross the area since the water level reduced early today. But later in the morning, the transport movement on Cox's Bazar-Chattogram highway was completely stopped since the road has gone underwater."
Some buses are using the narrow roads leading through Chakaria, Pekua, Bashkahli, Anawara to ply between Cox's Bazar and Chattogram, he said.
Earlier, road communication between Bandarban and the rest of the country was snapped since the Bandarban-Keranirhat road in Bajalia area has been inundated since yesterday.
Army deployed to tackle flood, landslide in Ctg, Bandarban
Personnel from the Bangladesh Army have been deployed to tackle the ongoing flood and landslide situation in Chattogram and Bandarban district.
Inter-Services Public Relations (ISPR) informed of the development in a press release issued on Tuesday.
Undersigned by ISPR Assistant Director Rashadul Alam Khan, it said the army will work to deal with the flood and landslide situation in the two districts.
Landslides kill 6 in Cox's Bazar, Bandarban
At least 6 people including four from the Rohingya community were killed in three separate landslides in Bandarban and Cox's Bazar on Monday.
Authorities fear that the death toll might increase as torrential rain and gusty wind are causing flash floods and landslides across the region.
The Rohingyas were killed in two incidents of landslides at the Ukhiya refugee camp and Alikalam upazila of Bandarban.
In the Ukhiya camp, a Rohingya mother and her two-year-old daughter were killed when a landslide hit their home in the evening.
Jannat Ara, 35, wife Anwar Hossain and her daughter Mahiya Bibi, 2, died at camp 9, said Refugee, Relief and Repatriation Commissioner (RRRC) Mohammad Mizanur Rahman.
Earlier, at noon, two Rohingya labourers died in a landslide while cutting a hill in Bandarban's Alikadam.
They are identified as Chobi Rahman, 16, and Mohammad Musa, 17. They were residents of Ukhiya Rohingya camp 14 and 15 respectively.
Quoting the family members, the RRRC confirmed that they went to Alikadam upazila as labourers on Wednesday.
Their bodies were taken to the camp, he said.
In Chakaria upazila of Cox's Bazar, two children were killed when the wall of the house collapsed on them around 4:00pm today.
The incident occurred in the Boroghona area, a remote hilly place of Boroitola union of the upazila, confirmed Upazila Nirbahi Office JP Chakma.
The wall of their house collapsed because of a landslide, he said.
The deceased were the children of one Anwar Hossain and no other details are not available immediately, he added.
Atotal of 119 landslides occurred in the camps and over 1500 shelters were completely or partly damaged due to the natural calamity, while 90 Rohingyas were relocated to safer places from the risky areas, said Mizanur Rahman.
All educational institutions in four districts in Chattogram division to remain closed for two days
All the educational institutions in four districts of Chattogram division will remain closed for two days from today (Wednesday) due to the flood situation, Education Minister Dipu Moni said on Tuesday.
The districts are Chattogram, Bandarban, Khagrachhari and Cox's Bazar.
The minister said this during a press briefing after a national monitoring and disciplinary committee meeting at International Mother Language Institute in the afternoon.
Incessant rains and tidal surges have wreaked havoc in four districts over the last few days, causing immense sufferings to thousands of people.
At least six people, including four Rohingyas, were killed in three landslides in Cox's Bazar and Bandarban Monday as heavy rain continued to batter the country's southeastern region for the last few days.