Rain pours relief for sweltering Dhaka

'Life was terrible in unbearable heat. Seeing the rain, I couldn't hold myself back, and got drenched,' one resident says

The weather forecast had already indicated the possibility of rain; although there was rainfall in the northern and southeastern parts of Bangladesh during the day, Dhaka remained dry and dusty.

People, hoping for relief through the rainwater, finally saw rain accompanied by thunder late at night.

Heavy rain and storms occurred around midnight in areas like Old Dhaka, Jatrabari, and Mirpur. There were also intense winds and loud thunderclaps.

In Mirpur-12, people were seen rejoicing and getting drenched in the rain on balconies, roofs, and streets. Some even shouted slogans.

They said the long-awaited rain has revived the emotions of their childhood.

Rain also began in areas like Uttara, Khilkhet, Moghbazar, and the Sixty Feet area.

A local from the area, Luftunnahar Furqan, told http://bdnews24.com: 'I was waiting for this rain. I couldn't find peace in the severe heat. Now that it's raining, I stood on the balcony getting my hands wet and then enjoyed the rain. It's a joy after such a long wait."

The heatwave started sweeping over the country on Mar 31. By Apr 30, amid an ongoing heatwave that had lasted for 33 days, a record temperature of 43.8 degrees Celsius was recorded in Jessore. That day, the mercury in Dhaka soared to 40.5 degrees Celsius. Until then, no rain had been seen in major parts of the country.

For many, like Taslima Begum, a resident of Mirpur-12 in her 60s, this rain was highly anticipated.

She said, "This oppressive heat was unbearable. Now there will be some peace."

Domestic help Surma Begum could not sleep for several nights due to the intense heat. Her four children got wet in the rain at night.

Surma told bdnews24.com, "The heat was causing prickly heat on my children's bodies. We couldn’t sleep for many nights! Every day I prayed for rain to ease the heat. It has finally come today. What a relief!'

As soon as the rain started, residents like Ekram Hossain from Shewrapara also went out to get wet.

He said, "Life was terrible in unbearable heat. Seeing the rain, I couldn't hold myself back. I got drenched, and then returned home to the cool breeze. The thunder and lightning are intense.'

He also believes that the rain will bring down the temperature.

Arifur Rahman Shakil, a resident of Kazla in Jatrabari area, said: "I'm finding peace in the rain; a cool breeze is blowing, easing the discomfort from the heat."

Weather expert Monowar Hossain told bdnews24.com, 'There is a possibility that rain will spread across the whole of Dhaka. This will bring relief to the people. Tomorrow’s daytime temperature will also be lower.'

Reports of heavy rain have also come from Rupganj in Narayanganj and Madhabdi in Narsingdi."