Sudden rain halts city life

Rahima Akhter, a private company employee, left her office a little earlier than usual today (19 March) to prepare iftar at home and enjoy it with her family. But, as she reached the New Market area around 3pm, it suddenly started raining.

With no other option, she waited in the rain for about an hour. Later, after reaching Shahbagh on a rickshaw she was greeted with water clogged roads, leading to long tailbacks.

After many struggles, she managed to reach Shahbagh Metrorail station but only to face more setbacks. The metrorail was closed for more than 30 minutes and eventually, her plan to reach her Mirpur 12 home before iftar failed as she finally reached home around 8pm on a bus.

Expressing her frustration, Rahima Akhter told The Business Standard over phone, "Even though the rains have come as a relief after the scorching heat for the past few days, the sudden rainfall has added to my woes. Our plans for a family iftar were ruined as I got stuck on the roads.

"We want to be smart with a city that cannot even withstand 1 hour of rain. At the same time, the metrorail service was also closed for about an hour. Will we ever see solutions to these problems?"

Not only Rahima, but many city dwellers shared similar grievances as the rainfall led to waterlogging in key areas such as New Market, Paltan, Shantinagar, Bailey Road, Malibagh, Mouchak, and Siddheshwari. The overflow of water not only inundated main roads but also resulted in clogged drains, worsening the situation.

Furthermore, the impact of the downpour was evident in various parts of the city where shops and markets experienced a decrease in pedestrians as people preferred to stay indoors. Individuals attempting to purchase clothes for Eid found themselves drenched in the rain, dampening their shopping experience.

Meanwhile, shortly before the rains started, Dhaka South City Corporation Mayor Barrister Sheikh Fazle Noor Taposh in a meeting at Nagar Bhavan said, "Waterlogging is a long-standing problem. Since assuming responsibility, we have implemented extensive activities including construction and renovation of infrastructure with our own funding, removal of waste from canals, drains and sewers. Work is still going on in many places and new work will be done in many places. Your tireless efforts help us in this collective effort."

The Bangladesh Meteorological Department reported that Dhaka recorded the highest rainfall of 16 millimetres until 6pm yesterday. However, they clarified that such rainfall during this period is not unusual, despite last year's lower precipitation levels.

Looking ahead, regions including Rangpur, Rajshahi, Dhaka, Mymensingh, and Khulna divisions, along with some areas of Barishal and Sylhet divisions, are expected to experience heavy rainfall accompanied by thunderstorms or squalls in the next 24 hours. Additionally, scattered showers are predicted in coastal areas.