Life reels from incessant rain, gridlocks, waterlogging
Heavy rains and gusty winds severely disrupted life in the capital yesterday causing waterlogging and traffic gridlocks.
Dhaka recorded 56mm of rainfall yesterday, according to met officials.
They said the non-stop downpour that began on Monday is the result of an active monsoon.
The weather in the city would start to improve from today. But rains would continue for another few days elsewhere, added the officials.
Several districts in the country’s south have been put on flash flood alert as monsoon rains continue.
Water levels in major rivers including the Padma, Arialkhan and Meghna are above the danger mark, Water Development Board sources said.
In the capital, many parts remained flooded yesterday, as the city dwellers struggled to cope with the incessant rain.
As most of the schools were closed for Ramadan, students and their parents heaved sighs of relief. But others, mainly office-goers, could not share the comfort.
People remained stranded in traffic jams for hours on way to and from offices.
Rafiqul Islam, a motorist from Mohakhali, said he had to change his route twice to reach Karwan Bazar. Despite attempts to make the journey shorter, it took him nearly two hours to reach his destination, usually a one-hour drive.
“It took a whole hour to reach Farmgate from the Prime Minister’s Office. It’s at most a 10-minute drive.”
Many frequent walkers and motorcyclists were forced to take buses and other forms of transports to avoid the rain, which added to the pressure on the public transports.
The rain led to severe waterlogging in most areas including Shantinagar, Mouchak, Moghbazar, Rampura, Badda, Jatrabari and Gulshan.
“Rain slows down traffic movement and affects visibility. Besides, CNG-run vehicles break down in knee-deep water,” said Mahbubur Rahman, joint commissioner (traffic) of Dhaka Metropolitan Police.
Hundreds of commuters were seen stranded on both sides of Kazi Nazrul Islam Avenue around 2:00pm. They had long been waiting there for buses. Many were standing in driving rain, as roadside shelters were already full of homebound people.
The vehicles that were coming were already packed with passengers. Yet, people were seen desperately making a dash for the crammed buses.
Female commuters suffered the most, as getting even a little room on the buses required elbowing aside numerous others.
Grocery and kitchen market shoppers complained that storeowners have increased the prices of essentials due to the rain.
Meanwhile, many early Eid shoppers were seen standing with shopping bags near the New Market desperately calling the passing CNG auto-rickshaw for a ride home.
Even though most schools were closed, some held examinations yesterday.
“My brother took my daughter in his laps, folded his pants and waded across the knee-deep water in front of the house to take her to school for exam and later bring her back home,” said Mahmood Hossain, a service provider from Motijheel.
While his daughter enjoyed the ride thoroughly, his brother almost fell into an open manhole on the road, he said.
With an extended summer and scorching heat followed by a spate of downpours, the weather has become a topic of discussion and complaints among Dhaka dwellers.
On many Dhaka roads, the rainwater rose to knee-level preventing many modes of transport from operating.
Dhaka Water and Sewerage Authority (Wasa), in a press statement, have claimed that most of the city streets have been cleared of waterlogging.
However, some, including the one in front of Mouchak, remain inundated, as the water could not be pumped out to the adjacent rivers, which are running high in level, the press statement said.
The authority has requested city residents to inform their local Wasa officials if the roads in their areas are still waterlogged.
According to the met office, the highest rainfall in the country was recorded at Hatiya in Chittagong, which was 254mm in 12 hours from 6:00pm Monday. Cox’s Bazar was second with 218mm.
Maritime ports of Chittagong, Cox’s Bazar and Mongla have been advised to hoist local cautionary signal number three and fishing boats and trawlers in the Bay of Bengal were asked to proceed with caution.
A source at the Dhaka River Port told The Daily Star that the downpour did not disrupt the port schedule.
Some 60 launches left the port yesterday maintaining their regular schedule, the source added.
-With The Daily Star input Image credit: Daily Ittefaq
