ZCZC
BSS-12
HEAVY-RAIN-KHULNA (With photo)
Heavy rain paralyses Khulna
KHULNA, August 17, 2019 (BSS) – Incessant torrential rains pouring since last midnight, waterlogged nearly one-fifth of Khulna city, disrupting city life and causing immense suffering of its city dwellers in the early part of the morning.
According to Met office, 114 millimeters of rainfall, highest in the year in Khulna, was recorded in the city in the last six hours till 9.00am today.
Many areas of the city’s KDA Avenue, Khanjahan Ali Road, Lower Jessore Road, Rupsha Strand Road, Sher-e-Bangla Road, Iqbalnagar, Tutpara and many low lying areas have already gone under knee-deep water and vehicular movement in these areas has been severely restricted.
Visiting these areas at around 10.00am, this correspondent witnessed that rainwater flooding kitchen markets, slums and the ground floors of most of the buildings and markets. Many human haulers and battery run easy bikes were found stranded on the waterlogged roads while office-goers were seen struggling to find transport.
However, vehicular movement on different city roads started to become normal as the water began receding from most of the areas around 1.00pm.
While talking Mayor of KCC Talukder Abdul Khaleque said that a project was taken up by KCC to excavate the city’s 22 canals in 2019-20 fiscal years.
He pointed out that some people has constructed structures and grabbed some portion of land which are part of the canals in defiance of laws adding to the problem.
The issue of water-logging cannot be mitigated without coordinated efforts between Khulna Water Supply and Sewerage Authority(KWASA), Khulna Development Authority, Khulna Metropolitan Police(KMP), Citizen organizations, city dwellers and KCC, he said.
BSS/CORR/SMM/1630 hrs.