Even little rain causes water-logging in some Savar areas

Residents in some areas of Savar have to suffer through water-logging even if it rains a little.

About 50 families living in Deoga area of East Rajashan consisting of ward no 8 of Savar Municipal Area of Dhaka and ward no 4 of Sadar Union have to suffer from this problem of long-term waterlogging.

Locals said that even though this problem of waterlogging in this relatively low area has been going on for a long time, there is no initiative by the municipal or union parishad authorities to solve it.

Although the matter has been repeatedly approached by the local public representatives, no solution has been found till this day, they said.

Locals complain that every year during the rainy season, when there is waterlogging, sometimes the public representatives take responsibility by going there to solve the problem of waterlogging and taking some pictures.

However, Haji Salim Miah, councillor of ward no 8 of the municipality, while acknowledging the suffering of the residents, told The Business Standard (TBS), "Since the area is relatively low, rainwater from all the surrounding areas accumulates there. Earlier, there were many low-lying lands in the vicinity, through which the water used to flow down. But as those low-lying areas have been gradually filled up and houses have been filled, now water cannot flow. I went there yesterday and made an arrangement for water to flow temporarily through a boundary, but I will discuss with the mayor about the permanent solution to this problem of waterlogging."

On the other hand, the chairman of Savar Sadar Union Parishad. Sohail Rana told TBS, "People have told me that they are in a very bad situation due to waterlogging there. I will go tomorrow, go and see how it can be solved, since many people are suffering there".

Abdul Barek, a 64-year-old local resident whose house is under ward no 8 told TBS that he has been living there with his family for 15 years. Earlier, during the monsoon, the rainwater used to go down into the various reservoirs through the low land around, but in the last few years, the dirty rainwater accumulates throughout the monsoon season due to the construction of houses on those low land around. They are forced to move through this dirty water.

"We have to stay under the water here when the monsoons come. Although we have repeatedly informed the local councillor, they have not taken any initiative to solve the problem. Due to the water, many students here often go out with extra clothes in their bags so that after the water passes, they can change their wet clothes and go to school and college. All the residents of more than 50 houses here are in the same situation, everyone is in this trouble," said another resident of the area. Hasan Amin.

Savar Municipality Mayor Haji Abdul Gani told TBS, "I am not aware of the matter. Having said that, I spoke to the local councillor there and sent our municipal engineer over there to see how the problem could be resolved."