Govt forms coordination committee to tackle Ctg's waterlogging crisis
Mayor Shahadat Hossain announced that an integrated citizen service app will be launched on 15 May to incorporate technology into urban management, allowing residents to report issues such as waste, open manholes, or waterlogging directly
The government has formed a coordination committee involving relevant agencies to address the persistent waterlogging problem in Chattogram, said State Minister for Local Government, Rural Development, and Cooperatives Mir Shahe Alam.
Speaking to journalists after inspecting several waterlogged areas in the port city, the state minister made the announcement at a coordination meeting held at the Chattogram City Corporation office at Tigerpass area yesterday (29 April).
An office order, issued by the City Corporation-2 branch of the Local Government Division of the Ministry of Local Government, Rural Development and Cooperatives today (30 April), has formally launched the committee.
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The minister said yesterday that reports circulating on social media and in the media about the city being submerged were "false, baseless and exaggerated."
However, temporary water congestion was observed only in the Probortok intersection due to ongoing development work by the Chattogram Development Authority.
Yesterday's meeting, which lasted for around one and a half hours, was attended by officials from various departments of the city corporation, project stakeholders, the divisional administrator, and law enforcement agencies.
'No significant waterlogging'
The state minister said that field visits did not find significant waterlogging in most parts of the city.
He added that ongoing canal re-excavation projects have created some obstacles to water flow in certain areas. These obstacles will be removed within the next five days to restore normal water movement, while permanent infrastructure will be constructed after the monsoon.
Mir Shahe Alam said the Bangladesh Army's 34 Engineering Brigade has already completed work on 30 out of the city's 36 canals in total and removed some 6,000 illegal structures. Work on the remaining canals is ongoing and is expected to be completed within this year.
He further said waterlogging in the port city has decreased by 50% to 60% in 2025 compared to 2024, adding, "It will be possible to control 90% to 95% of the problem in the next season."
The state minister noted that the lack of coordination among multiple agencies--including the Chattogram Development Authority, Bangladesh Water Development Board, and Chattogram Port Authority--has contributed to the problem.
To address this, a coordinated committee has been formed under the leadership of the mayor of Chattogram City Corporation through the issuance of a government gazette.
"Traffic, waterlogging, or any other civic issue, decisions can be taken quickly and resolved through this committee," the state minister said.
Mayor Shahadat Hossain said coordinated efforts over the past year have reduced waterlogging by 50% to 60%, expressing hope that it would reach 70% to 80% once ongoing projects are completed.
He also announced that an integrated citizen service app will be launched on 15 May to incorporate technology into urban management, allowing residents to report issues such as waste, open manholes, or waterlogging directly.
"Not only infrastructure development, raising public awareness is now a major challenge," the mayor added.
Who are in the committee?
Officials at the meeting emphasised the need for coordinated efforts to improve waterlogging management, traffic systems, and overall civic services in the city.
The committee includes the brigade commander of the 34 Engineer Brigade of the Bangladesh Army, the managing director of Chattogram Wasa, the additional divisional commissioner (Development), the district commissioner, a representative of the Local Government Division and the additional police commissioner (Traffic) of the Chattogram Metropolitan Police as members.
In addition, the committee includes various project directors related to the waterlogging relief project, a member (Engineering) of the Chattogram Development Authority, a city corporation secretary, chief engineer and chief cleaning officer of the corporation, the chief hydrographer of the Chattogram Port Authority, the additional chief engineer of the local Power Development Board and the general manager of Karnaphuli Gas Distribution Company Limited.
The chief executive officer of the city corporation will serve as the committee's member secretary, while the mayor's Waterlogging Advisor, Shahriar Khaled, will serve as a canal and waterlogging expert.
