43mm rain leaves Dhaka waterlogged

A heavy downpour that dumped 43 millimetres of rain on Dhaka within just two hours yesterday left many parts of the capital waterlogged, disrupting traffic and causing severe suffering for commuters.

The rain began around 3:30pm and continued unabated for nearly two hours before easing somewhat around 5:30pm. Light to moderate rainfall was also reported in different parts of the city afterward.

The intense rainfall inundated numerous roads across the capital as drainage systems struggled to cope with the sudden volume of water. Water accumulated quickly in areas including Mohammadpur, Farmgate, Green Road, Karwan Bazar, Gulshan, Badda, Mirpur and Motijheel shortly after the rain began.

Many pedestrians and commuters were stranded during the downpour, while severe traffic congestion gripped major roads in the evening after the rain subsided.

Long tailbacks were reported on roads in Gulshan, Banani, Mohakhali, Asad Gate, Farmgate, along Kazi Nazrul Islam Avenue, causing widespread inconvenience to city residents.

The Bangladesh Meteorological Department said rain was likely to continue in Dhaka during the night.

“Dhaka received 43 millimetres of rainfall on Friday afternoon [yesterday]. However, the intensity of rainfall may decrease somewhat on Saturday,” meteorologist AKM Nazmul Haque told The Daily Star.

Witnesses said many motorcyclists took shelter under flyovers and overpasses during the rain, although many still ended up soaked.

Clusters of parked motorcycles and rickshaws beneath the structures further slowed traffic, leaving vehicles stranded behind them. The waterlogged roads also forced vehicles to move at a crawl.

With public transport in short supply, many passengers were seen paying extra fares to cross flooded roads using rickshaws and rickshaw-vans.

The Traffic Control Room of the Dhaka Metropolitan Police said congestion had developed on almost all major roads in the capital, including those in Gulshan, Farmgate and Motijheel, due to the rainfall.

“There is no other specific reason behind the sudden traffic congestion. Vehicles are moving extremely slowly because water has accumulated on the roads. That is what caused the gridlock,” a Traffic Control Room operator told The Daily Star.