Continuous rain floods Dighinala lowlands, temporarily halts Sajek–Longadu road link
Dighinala recorded 103mm of rain in three hours, with floodwater entering homes and landslides disrupting traffic on key routes.
Continuous heavy rainfall since Friday (21 August) night has flooded several low-lying areas of Dighinala upazila in Khagrachhari, disrupting road communications with Sajek and Longadu.
The Merung, Kabakhali and Boalkhali unions have been particularly affected by the rising water levels.
In Merung union, the road and bridge near Bacha Merung Steel Bridge have gone under water, temporarily suspending road communication between Dighinala and Longadu.
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Meanwhile, water has inundated a section of the road adjacent to Maini Bridge in Kabakhali union, disrupting the Dighinala-Sajek road link. Hundreds of tourists heading to Sajek have reportedly been stranded and are facing considerable difficulties.
Water in the Maini River is flowing above the danger level, inundating low-lying areas of Merung, Kabakhali and Boalkhali. In several areas, floodwater has entered homes, while Aman paddy fields have also been submerged.
The Dighinala-Merung road has also been inundated, with water flowing over sections of the roadway.
The situation has been further aggravated by landslides in different parts of Khagrachhari. Vehicle movement on the Khagrachhari-Dighinala road has been disrupted, while landslides have also halted traffic on the Dighinala-Sajek route.
The Roads and Highways Department has started removing soil and debris from landslide-affected sections to restore communication.
Khagrachhari Roads and Highways Department Executive Engineer Saumya Talukder told BSS that vehicle movement has been temporarily suspended at the 5-mile and 9-mile areas of the Khagrachhari-Dighinala road due to road collapses.
"Work to remove soil from the damaged sections has already begun, and efforts are underway to restore vehicular movement," he said.
A total of 103 millimetres of rainfall was recorded in Dighinala within three hours from midnight on Friday.
Dighinala Upazila Nirbahi Officer Tanzil Parvez told BSS that incessant torrential rain overnight had caused water from upstream to flow into the low-lying areas, resulting in flooding.
He said road communication on the Dighinala-Longadu-Sajek routes had been temporarily disrupted and that the upazila administration was taking preparations to deal with the sudden rise in water levels and any possible flood situation.
