Rain, waterlogging ruin Dhaka’s holiday mood

On Saturday afternoon, Shafiqul Islam left his residence in the Green Road area to go to Bailey Road. As soon as he stepped outside, an ordeal was awaiting him.

The lane ahead was waterlogged, and he found himself wading through a mixture of rainwater and drainage waste, drenching his lower limbs up to the knees.

Fortunately, he managed to secure a rickshaw and traverse a mere one-kilometer distance up to Panthapath, albeit at the cost of Tk80, which is usually Tk20 to Tk30.

As a result of the recent rainfall over the past few days, Shafiqul Islam's neighborhood has been witnessing severe waterlogging causing immense sufferings for the residents of the area. 

"Following each bout of rain, knee-deep water accumulates and remains stagnant for even one or two hours. In some places, the water rises above the waist," Shafiqul told The Business Standard.

The heavy rains have caused waterlogging in some other major areas of the city, including Paltan, Science Lab, Mirpur-10, Dhanmondi and Farmgate.

Even after the rain stopped, waterlogging persisted in several places for hours. This suffering is further exacerbated by ongoing road development projects, subjecting city dwellers to distress.

According to the Meteorological Office, 84mm of rain was recorded from Saturday morning until 9pm. On Eid day, it was 115mm, highest in the country that day.

Meteorologist Md Abul Kalam Mallik said heavy rain is expected to continue in the capital and many areas of Rangpur, Mymensingh and Rajshahi divisions for the next 2-1 days.

Most of the people who left the city to spend Eid holidays have not returned. So, there was little traffic on the waterlogged streets.

Nasmus Saqib, a student residing in Science Lab area, said a major problem is that roads and footpaths are filled with potholes which cannot not be noticed amid waterlogging.  Besides, all the waste from the drain has mixed with the accumulated water.

Some residents of Old Dhaka said the rains flooded several areas -- Bangshal Road and Nazimuddin Road are the most affected among them.

Residents of the city say that the capital Dhaka will get back to its usual busy picture within this week, and if there is such heavy rains, the entire capital will come to a standstill due to traffic jams and waterlogging.

Dhaka North City Corporation (DNCC) Chief Executive Officer Md Selim Reza said TBS that these days water does not remain accumulated on Dhaka streets for more than two hours.

Accumulation of dirt with polythene in the mouths of drains causes this problem, he added. "Hopefully we can solve this in the future. Our quick response team is also working in the field."

Md Iftekhar Ahmed Chowdhury, chief waste management officer of Dhaka South City Corporation, told TBS, "After taking over the canals and sewers of Dhaka from Wasa in December 2020, we have been carrying out the work of modernising the city's drainage system.

"We need more time to end the problem of waterlogging completely."