Army called in as heavy monsoon rains wreak havoc in southeastern Bangladesh

By SM Najmus Sakib

DHAKA, Bangladesh (AA) – The army was called in on Tuesday to assist the civil administration in Bangladesh, where heavy monsoon rains and landslides disrupted road communications in southeastern districts as well as the coastal Cox's Bazar region, stranding thousands of people.

Army personnel have been deployed to rescue people marooned and deal with flood situations and landslides in the port city of Chattogram and Bandarban district, according to a statement issued by Bangladesh Army media wing, the Inter-Services Public Relations (ISPR).

Heavy traffic disruption has been reported in areas where vehicles on major highways were moving at a snail's pace, while routine lives were disrupted due to heavy rain and landslides. Cropland is also submerged, and fish have been seen floating in the floods.

"Road communication in the Chattogram-Cox's Bazar routes has been suspended after heavy rains submerged roads, in addition to roadblocks caused by landslides. Thousands of people have been stranded by water in various towns as heavy rains continue, Additional Deputy Commissioner of Chattogram district Rakib Hasan told Anadolu over the phone.

"We are working to restore traffic. Over 4,000 people have taken shelter in the city area alone, with thousands more in surrounding villages. The district authority has prepared 500 shelters in the port city," he added.

Mohammad Ali, 28, a resident of Keochia village in Satkania town of the port city, told Anadolu that they have not seen such heavy rain in decades. Rainwater has already submerged his two-story house, he added.

"I relocated my elderly parents to a relative's home outside town and am now assisting people to relocate others. Many people are requesting assistance in order to be relocated to safe places. We demand that the military rescue us," he said.

MA Motaleb, the chief local government representative of Satkania, told Anadolu that 10,000 people are stranded alone in his town. "We are working with the district administration to relocate people to safe areas and provide them with relief goods."

He expected the situation to return to normal in two days.

Rain began in Chittagong and surrounding areas on Thursday and has been heavy since Saturday night. The Meteorological Office has issued a warning about worsening flooding and landslides due to heavy rains.

Meanwhile, all educational institutions in the city will remain closed, while Chittagong University has announced that all examinations on campus will be moved to Thursday.

According to the Meteorological Department, the region received 342 millimeters of rain on Monday, the most since 1988.

Furthermore, over 200,000 people in the coastal Cox's Bazar district have become waterlogged as a result of the continuous rain, Deputy Commissioner Muhammad Shaheen Imran said at a press conference on Monday.