20mm of rain leaves Dhaka roads waterlogged

Rain has left major roads and low-lying areas of Dhaka waterlogged, disrupting movement and adding to traffic congestion on the first working day of the week.

Water had still not receded from parts of Purana Paltan, Gulistan and Motijheel by 11am on Sunday, forcing pedestrians to wade through nearly knee-deep water in some places.

Walking routes were also obstructed, adding to the difficulties facing commuters.

According to the Bangladesh Meteorological Department, Dhaka recorded 20mm of rain up to 6am on Sunday.

The highest rainfall in the country was recorded in neighbouring Narayanganj at 82mm, followed by Madaripur at 61mm.

The Met Office classifies rainfall of 11mm to 22mm as moderate.

In a forecast issued at 7am for the following six hours, the weather office said rain or thundershowers could occur during the day.

The sky may remain partly cloudy to cloudy, while winds from the south-southeast could blow at 10-15 kilometres per hour.

Hasanur Rahman, an employee of a packaging company in Purana Paltan, told bdnews24.com that walking in the area had become difficult.

“There is no way to walk on the roads. And we cannot use the footpaths either. We rush to reach the office on time, but the shopkeepers leave their goods on the footpaths and carry on with their business openly.

“Some have occupied half the footpaths with wooden platforms and placed goods on the rest. We had to endure all this hardship on our way here,” he said.

Rezaul Karim, an official at Sonali Bank’s head office in Motijheel, said he woke early in the morning to the sound of rain and a cold breeze.

“Even at 10am, the water had not completely receded in Motijheel. I travelled by rickshaw along dry roads, but my shoes got slightly wet at the bank gate,” he told bdnews24.com.

Dhaka South City Corporation (DSCC) said thundershowers from 4am had caused temporary waterlogging in some low-lying areas and on sloping roads under its jurisdiction.

“To quickly ease the temporary suffering of city residents, cleaners from the waste management department and the emergency response team have been working actively in the field since early morning,” it said in a statement.

DSCC said workers had also opened manhole covers and cleared waste from a road in Jigatola, Dhanmondi, after waterlogging was reported there.

Meanwhile, the Met Office said in its 120-hour forecast issued at 9am that a low-pressure area had formed over the north Andaman Sea and adjoining areas and could intensify into a depression.

Light to moderate rain or thundershowers accompanied by temporary gusty winds may occur at many places across all eight divisions.

The weather office said some parts of the country could also experience heavy rain.