Chaotic day in capital with incessant rain, waterlogged streets, clogged traffic

Heavy overnight rain that continued until afternoon has submerged most parts of the capital, crippling the transport system and forcing commuters to wade through the knee or waist-deep water.

Senior Correspondentbdnews24.com
Published : 26 July 2017, 08:24 AM
Updated : 26 July 2017, 07:37 PM

A low pressure system has been dumping heavy rain across the country since Sunday.

On Wednesday, 67mm of rain was recorded by the Met office between 6am and 6pm.

Trapped rainwater formed pools on roads in the capital, worsening the city’s traffic jams. Small accidents were reported on the roads undergoing construction.

People travelling to work in the morning were struck by heavy rain, grinding traffic and a shortage of commutes, which delayed their arrivals by long hours.

Anik, a private sector worker employed in Mohakhali said he left his home in Panthapath home in the morning but arrived at the office around 2:15pm.

“It took me 55 minutes to travel from the Farmgate bus stand to Bijoy Sarani. The entire road from Bijoy Sarani intersection to Monipuri Para was under water.”

NGO worker Mostafizur Rahman spent two hours to travel from Banasree to Gulshan, because of waterlogged Pragati Sarani.

Vehicles travelling from Uttara to Banani were seen at a standstill on around 10am. Buses that haphazardly stop to pick up passengers from Shewra worsened the situation.     

Almost one kilometre of road between the Jamuna Future Park and Pragati Sarani is undergoing renovation, which caused traffic to build up on the Khilkhet flyover.

Many people travelling from Merul Badda to Paltan crossing, usually a 40-minute path, spent two to three hours on the road.

A few buses plied the city’s routes which meant more people hired auto-rickshaws at much higher fares.

Shariful Alam, a banker, said he had to travel from Mlibagh to his office at Paltan by rickshaw when the CNG auto-rickshaw drivers asked for Tk 400. The journey, which usually takes 20 to 30 minutes, took two hours on Wednesday morning, he said.

Daffodil University student Anindita Saha Soma said the portion of Mirpur Road where it connects to Dhanmondi-27 was under waist-deep water throughout the day. She had to return home after seeing the situation.

Dhaka South Mayor Sayeed Khokon waded through knee-deep water during a visit to the area.

He blamed the incessant rains for the waterlogging in the city and hoped the situation would improve soon.

Local Government Minister Khandker Mosharraf Hossain termed the situation 'unusual' and promised that the capital would not experience waterlogging next year.

The condition of the street from Rampura Bridge to Malibagh was 'horrifying' due to deep potholes now small 'water bodies' on the street.

The entire Malibagh area is in disarray due to the construction of a flyover. The situation was same in Shantinagar and any other areas of the city.

The street in front of the Secretariat, the epicentre of country's bureaucracy, was also under water. Fire Service workers were called in to drain the water clogged on the Secretariat premises.

Residents of Mirpur are already in peril due to the digging of Rokeya Sharani as part of the metro rail work, and other streets for WASA repairers. The rains only contributed to their miseries on Wednesday.

The streets in Mirpur sections 10, 12, Kazipara, Taltola, and Agargaon were under water until afternoon.

Locals complained that the waterlogging on the street from section 10 to Kazipara now became a regular scenario.

Dhaka University campus is usually considered high land areas and does not suffer from waterlogging, but on Wednesday it could not escape water stagnation. The streets in front of the Registrar's Building, the VC's office, Mall Square, the Institute of Education and Research, and those in front of the Proctor's office and Arts Faculty Dean's office went under water.

The university's Chief Engineer AK Afzalul Haque told bdnews24.com that the problem lies in the WASA sewerage lines at the campus.

Rajardeuri of Old Dhaka's court area was under waist-deep water. Water also clogged in front of the judges' court. The presence of people and lawyers was also fewer than normal days.