Nonstop rain disrupts lives across country, will continue till Sunday

• Warning signal for the country's coastal areas has been lowered
• There are three main reasons why the rain has increased so much
• On Friday, traffic jams were seen in several areas of Dhaka

Incessant rain has disrupted daily lives in the capital Dhaka and other regions of the country over the past few days. Numerous hurdles to travel, including waterlogging and traffic congestion, are causing hardship to thousands of people.

However, the latest update of Bangladesh Meteorological Department (BMD) has predicted some relief. 

Yesterday evening, the warning signal for the country's coastal areas was lowered. The Met Office forecasted somewhat more rain in Dhaka, Sylhet, and Mymensingh divisions on Saturday but it will decrease on Sunday.

Weather forecaster Bazlur Rashid told The Business Standard, "The steady rain that has been falling for the past several days can be considered the last rain of the monsoon season. It rains for a few days in October almost every year. From Friday night, the rainfall in Rangpur and Rajshahi divisions will decrease significantly. From Sunday, rainfall will start to decrease across the country."

According to BMD, The highest rainfall in the country, 476mm, was recorded in Kishoreganj district's Nikli upazila between 6 pm on Thursday to 6 pm on Friday. The second highest, 340mm, was recorded in Mymensingh, and the third highest, 311mm was recorded in Netrokona. In Dhaka, 80 mm of rainfall was recorded in 24 hours till 6 pm on Friday. 

Life goes on amidst the floods, most shops can't afford to close for long. Photo: Rajib Dhar

Three reasons for more rain
The Met Office said that the rainy season is characterised by monsoon winds, which continue to blow until mid-October. And there are three main reasons why the rain has increased so much in the end of this season.

To begin, low pressure is currently converging at two places over the country, bringing in a lot of water vapour and air. Second, Indian Ocean Dipole (IOD) has become active in the Bay of Bengal. Third, the monsoon winds are getting stronger at the time of departure, gathering a large amount of clouds.

These three factors do not generally coincide in Bangladesh at this time. This time, it happened at the end of the monsoon, thus a record quantity of rain fell in various parts of the country in a short period of time.

Weather forecaster Bazlur Rashid said, "Rainfall typically increases when the monsoon winds depart. The combination of the land low-pressure system has intensified the rain this time." 

The two low-pressure systems emerged simultaneously in the Bay of Bengal and the Arabian Sea and quickly rose to land. Together they arrived in Rajshahi on Thursday via the northern area of Bangladesh and Sikkim, India. As a result, Rajshahi received a record quantity of rain on Thursday. It grew stronger and made its way to Sylhet via Mymensingh, Kishoregonj, and Brahmanbaria. Heavy rain and waterlogging in Mymensingh, Kishorganj, and Savar.

In the pouring rain, rickshaws are among the few willing to brace the flooded streets. Photo: Rajib Dhar

Waterlogging and traffic jam in Dhaka
Even though it was a holiday on Friday, traffic jams were seen in several areas of Dhaka due to continuous rains. Furthermore, several locations were waterlogged.

Mohammad Ashraful, a CNG auto rickshaw driver who took a trip to Abahani field, Dhanmondi from Eskaton, said, "On Fridays, it usually takes 15 minutes to cover this distance but today it took 45 minutes. Thanks to the rain and unprecedented traffic.

"I had to change routes three times and had to use alleyways."

The driver also blamed traffic policemen for unbearable congestion during heavy rain. "There would be no traffic officers if it rains heavily. Meanwhile, drivers do not follow traffic laws. Traffic congestion worsens."

Mustafizur Rahman, assistant commissioner of Dhaka Metropolitan Police traffic division, said, "I have been working as a traffic police officer in Dhaka for almost three years, and I have noticed that when it rains, most of the roads are waterlogged, which leads to traffic congestion."

"When it rains, all pedestrians use some sort of transport. Roads become narrower as traffic avoids waterlogged spaces for fear of holes. Vehicles make more stops and their speeds decrease significantly. These lead to traffic congestion and it is also difficult for traffic police to do their job," he added.

Street side vendors struggle to keep their products dry. Photo: Rajib Dhar

Damage to vegetable, crop fields
The Department of Agricultural Extension is concerned about the damage to vegetables and field crops in various parts of the country due to continuous rains.

Additional Director (Field Wing) of the Department of Agricultural Extension Md Sayedul Alam told TBS, "Aman paddy has been planted all over the country. There is no fear of much damage in the current situation if the water does not submerge the paddy. Because the Aman paddy plant remains fine under water for 3-4 days."

However, there is concern about the areas where the paddy is in the flowering stage. Because if these paddy are submerged under water for any reason, the yield can be lost.

"There is nothing to worry about vegetables, most of the vegetable fields are on high ground. Winter vegetables have not been planted yet," he added.

It has been reported that if water is trapped in the fields of onions and chilies, the two crops could be damaged. For this reason, agricultural officials have advised making arrangements to drain water from the fields quickly.