Chittagong has suffered severe waterlogging during the current monsoon, while floods and landslides have killed more than 50 people across Chittagong division, according to an article by Dr. Md. Iqbal Sarwar of the University of Chittagong. He argues that heavy rain alone should not be blamed, pointing instead to mismanagement, poorly planned development and indiscriminate hill cutting as major drivers of the disaster.

The article says 30 minutes to one hour of rain can leave about 40 to 50 percent of the metropolitan area waterlogged. In some places, flooding lasts from 30 minutes to nearly eight hours, with depths ranging from 0.50 to 1.60 metres. Research cited by the writer attributes 63 percent of the city’s waterlogging causes to human activity, including inadequate drainage, uncleared canals and drains, filled water bodies, waste obstruction, unplanned infrastructure and land-use changes.

The government has allocated about Tk13,000 crore to four projects, but the benefits of a CDA waterlogging project, 95 percent complete by May 2026, remain uncertain. The writer calls for halting unplanned urbanisation, hill cutting and destruction of rivers, canals and water bodies, while protecting forests and preventing settlements on vulnerable slopes.