Flood in Agrabad CDA Avenue and Preparedness among Local People

Bangladesh is located in South Asia and can be located on a map using the geographic coordinates of 24°N, 90°E.Its second largest metropolitan city, Chittagong is located on a peninsula, bordering on the west by the Bay of Bengal and on the east by the Karnaphuli river.

Agrabad is a downtown commercial and financial district in Chittagong, Bangladesh. Agrabad hosts numerous Bangladeshi and international businesses, banks, financial institutions and the Chittagong Stock Exchange.

Aim and objectives: This project contains firstly causes of flood; secondly damage in transportation system and sufferings of local people; eventually reduction of the problems introducing effective ways of preparedness. Our aim is to apply new system for raising awareness and reducing disaster risk in Agrabad CDA Avenue through utilizing telecommunication system and developing infrastructures.

There are several causes of frequent flood in Agrabad CDA Avenue. Entrance of tidal water, high intensity rainfall, lack of drainage system, and absence of flood retention basin, unconsciousness about waste management among local people are the basic reasons of flood. High intensity rainfall causes flooding because the city sewage system and draining canals do not have the necessary capacity to drain away the amounts of rain that are falling. Water even enters the sewage system in one place and then get deposited somewhere else in the area on the streets.

Architect Zarina Hossain, director of Planning & Logistics of Asian University for Women (AUW) said, "The trend of constructing high-rise buildings was not there when CDA formulated the master plan in 1990. So, the construction of high-rises and the increasing volume of household featured a little in the plan (“Roundtable”).

On the other hand there was a master plan providing guidelines for developing drainage system over 92 square miles of the city under 10 drainage areas. The master plan titled, Chittagong Storm Water Drainage and Flood Control Master Plan 1995, aimed at developing the drainage system in five phases within the plan period of 1995-2015. Unfortunately, thirteen years had been passed since gazette publication of Drainage Master Plan in 1999 but no visible progress is seen in its implementation.

During flood vehicles and properties are badly damaged. Public transports especially rickshaws and taxis demand higher rate of money than usual from the local passengers. People can’t go to working place in the knee deep water.

Shornali Barua Mou, who passed her HSC in 2012 from Agrabad Mohila College situated on Road No 17 of Agrabad CDA residential area, said “We had our regular classes between 9:40 am and 2:20pm. But classes had to be suspended at around 12:30 pm at least twice a week due to inundation of the college campus.” One of the students of AUW named Anupama who lives in Agrabad CDA told her sufferings during flood. She said, ‘I could not attend exam once due to rising rain water encroaching my home”.

She added that the roads become so muddy and slippery after flood; the drinking water mixed with dirty flood water cause various waterborne and skin borne diseases.

Hopefully the water rises relatively slow and the water level usually does not reach life endangering heights. If we do not make people prepared for this natural phenomenon, the situation may go out of control and threaten life to local people.

Mobile technology can be an effective source for the preparedness of flood because it is a very common device for communication used by people of all classes. Now a days in every family has minimum one mobile phone at their home. So we can take it as an advantage to raise awareness among people.

Mobile technology involving Short Message Service (SMS) and the Interactive Voice Response (IVR) to transmit weather advisory and disaster early warning can be an effective way of preparedness in this area.If The CDA Chairman can make a contract with mobile companies which will be powered by BTRC (Bangladesh Telecommunication Regulatory Commission) so that flood warnings can be sent via mobiles in Bengali Language to local people of Agrabad CDA.

Mobile operators should provide these messages in Bengali Language so that illiterate people can also understand their messages.

Agrabad CDA Residential Area in order to create preparedness for flood. After forming the committee, it should create a SMS short-code powered by BTRC so that social scientists and practitioners employee carried out by public and private agencies can submit data by using that short-code about developing infrastructure and drainage system.

Create a SMS short-code powered by BTRC so that social scientists and practitioners employee carried out by public and private agencies can submit data by using that short-code about developing infrastructure and drainage system e even more responsive, to look at what it can do in its processes and its structure to be as responsive as possible.

BTRC can embrace mobile technology by collaborating mobile operators and launching a fundraising campaign that will raise money. Willing people can send SMS text such as “FUND” to a specific number.The fund will target the upgrading, cleaning and repairs of urban drainage networks, solid waste management, and wastewater and sanitation infrastructure. It will also support a more effective disaster risk preparedness and management plan designed to save lives and reduce economic losses in the event of future flooding.

The owner of plots are not concern about building code rules while buildings are constructed. Most of the buildings are constructed by taking “House Building Loan” from banks. If the banks make it mandatory to submit the building plan before providing the loans and give instructions for maintaining the building code and making sufficient external outlet for water passage, local people will be bound to follow the instructions.

Chittagong City Corporation (CCC) may offer a reduction (say 10%) in holding tax to property owners with waste free surroundings.

If we can make people prepare for a natural phenomenon, it will not turn into a disaster. IT and infrastructure is the smartest way to make people prepare for flood.