More than 200 homes have been flooded by rainwater and runoff from nearby hills in the Sonaichhari area of Sitakunda upazila in Chattogram with local residents blaming the operations of Abul Khair Steel’s factory in Sitakunda for worsening the disaster.
The flooding hit Sonaichhari union on Saturday night, forcing hundreds of families to wade through waist-deep water while damaging homes, household belongings and food supplies. Local people alleged that the company’s industrial expansion altered natural canals and streams, preventing floodwater from draining and causing it to spill into nearby villages.
Abul Khair Steel, one of the country’s largest steel manufacturers and the producer of AKS-branded products, rejected the allegations, saying the flooding was caused by exceptionally heavy rainfall that affected large parts of Chattogram, including sections of its own factory, according to a report published by The Climate Watch.
Public anger spilled onto the streets on Sunday as several hundred residents blocked the factory’s main entrance, demanding the immediate removal of stagnant water and urgent repairs to the badly damaged access road.
The demonstrators erected barricades on the factory road, temporarily suspending the movement of vehicles. The blockade was withdrawn after senior company officials assured protesters that floodwater would be drained and the road repaired without delay. However, residents warned they would launch tougher protests if permanent measures were not taken.
Residents said overnight rainfall combined with runoff from nearby hills submerged more than 200 houses belonging to around 150 families in Sonaichhari and Khamarbari villages. They also claimed that more than 50 families from a nearby Tripura Indigenous settlement were affected.
Calling the incident a “man-made flood”, residents alleged that water would have drained naturally had canals, streams and drainage routes not been blocked.
“We suffer from pollution during the dry season and flooding during the monsoon,” said local resident Md Rubel. “The factory has become a major burden for people living in this area.”
Residents also alleged that continuous movement of heavy trucks transporting industrial materials had severely damaged the main road in front of the factory. Following the rain, large sections of the road turned into deep mud, making it hazardous for pedestrians, schoolchildren and commuters.
Residents of wards 5, 6 and 7 of Sonaichhari union said they had repeatedly submitted a 15-point charter of demands to the company. The demands include restoring natural drainage by excavating filled canals and streams, constructing roadside drains, ending hill cutting, restoring filled ponds, relocating dust-producing industrial facilities away from residential areas and ensuring environmentally safe disposal of industrial waste.
They also demanded that local residents be given priority in employment and business opportunities, outstanding land disputes be resolved, and previously made commitments to local communities be implemented.
Residents said they submitted a fresh written complaint to the Sitakunda Upazila administration on Sunday, with copies sent to the Assistant Commissioner (Land) and the officer-in-charge of Sitakunda Model Police Station. According to the complaint, a similar application seeking solutions to drainage and environmental problems was submitted on 11 December last year, but no effective action followed.
Sitakunda Upazila Nirbahi Officer Fakhrul Islam later said the administration would investigate the allegations.
“We are sending a team to inspect the area. If the flooding is found to have been caused or aggravated by the activities of Abul Khair Steel Plant, necessary action will be taken,” he said.
Rejecting the allegations, Abul Khair Steel Plant Deputy General Manager Imrul Kayes Bhuiyan said the flooding resulted from exceptionally heavy monsoon rainfall rather than the factory’s operations.
“Many parts of Chattogram have been flooded because of excessive rainfall. Some areas inside our factory also went under water. This is not a man-made flood caused by Abul Khair Steel Plant,” he said.
