Deluge in Dhaka: Heavy rain since dawn leaves roads waterlogged, disrupts daily life
Dhaka records 105mm of rainfall in nine hours, with the weather expected to remain this way for another couple of days.
Heavy rainfall accompanied by thunder struck Dhaka early this morning (22 September), leaving most streets across the capital waterlogged and causing severe suffering for pedestrians and commuters.
The downpour began at around 5:45am and continued until 7am without pause, following intermittent showers overnight.
Hafizur Rahman, a meteorologist at the Bangladesh Meteorological Department, told The Business Standard that Dhaka recorded 34mm of rainfall from midnight till 6am and another 71mm in the three hours until 9am.
"This rainfall is due to the influence of monsoon winds and may continue for another one to two days," he added.
By 7:30am, roads in Mirpur, Mohammadpur, Asad Gate, Dhanmondi, Jigatola, Kalabagan, Karwan Bazar, Green Road, New Market and several other areas were submerged – knee-deep in some places and waist-deep in others.
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Some office-goers said they had to wade through waist-deep water to reach their workplace, with several failing to reach work on time.
Muhaiminul Haque, who works at a private firm, told TBS, "I am still stuck at home and have not been able to step out because of the rain and waterlogging.
"My office has been calling repeatedly, as I was supposed to attend a meeting today, but I could not make it. Even the vendor who was supposed to join the meeting could not due to the deluge of rain."
School and college students also bore the brunt of the weather, with many drenched on their way to classes. Some parents were seen carrying their little children in their arms through the waterlogged streets.
Dhaka South City Corporation said its waste management workers and ward-based Emergency Response Teams are working to alleviate waterlogging in all wards under its jurisdiction.
In a press release, the city corporation said waterlogging in areas including Green Road, Dhaka University, Shantinagar, Bailey Road, Kakrail, Paltan, Sat Masjid Road, and Dhanmondi has already been resolved.
Temporary portable pumps and a high-pressure vertical pump in Kamalapur have been deployed to speed up drainage in areas where water is receding slowly.
The statement added that the overall situation is being monitored from its central control room.
Dhaka and other parts of the country had been experiencing extreme heat and humidity over the past few days, with hazy skies yesterday and the day before. The weather office had earlier forecast that rainfall would intensify starting today.
In its weather forecast valid from 6pm yesterday, the BMD had said light to moderate rain or thundershowers accompanied by temporary gusty wind would likely occur in many places of Dhaka, Khulna, Barishal, Chattogram and Sylhet divisions and in a few places of Rangpur, Rajshahi and Mymensingh divisions, with moderately heavy to heavy rainfall expected in some areas of Dhaka, Khulna, Barishal, Chattogram and Sylhet divisions.
