Two people defying the heavy rain to head for their respective destinations at Banani in the city on Saturday — FE photo by KAZ Sumon Public sufferings intensified on Saturday as heavy rainfall caused inundation of many roads and low-lying areas in the capital city.
As a result, homeward people got caught in severe congestion at all major points in the evening. Hundreds of others faced a shortage of vehicles at night.
The Met office recorded 23 millimetre (mm) rainfall between 3:00 pm and 6:00 pm on the day in Dhaka.
Rain continued here till the filing of this report at 8:20 pm.
Weathermen said Sitakunda in Chattogram witnessed the highest 220mm rainfall during the time.
The Met office in its 24-hour forecast said moderate to heavy rain or thundershower
was likely to occur in most places over Rangpur, Mymensingh, Dhaka, Sylhet and Chattogram divisions.
Rain may also occur in many places over Barisal and Rajshahi and Khulna divisions.
Meanwhile, Flood Forecasting and Warning Centre said 15 rivers at 22 points in 13 districts were flowing over the danger level (till 7:30 pm) causing flood there.
The flood situation might deteriorate in the next twenty-four hours in the districts, it added.
Dhaka's residents underwent an ordeal on Saturday evening as roads and lanes, which were recovering from Friday's inundation, got deluged again.
Rainwater caused waterlogging in Mohammadpur, Rayerbazar, Dhanmondi, Mirpur, Farmgate, Green Road, Motijheel, Arambagh, Kakrail, Moghbazar, Malibagh, Jatrabari, Jurain and parts of the old city.
Those who were commuting through Abdullahpur to Mohammadpur/Gabtoli via Mirpur, Gabtoli to Azimpur, Mirpur to Gulistan via Farmgate witnessed severe gridlock despite the day being a weekend.
Ariful Islam, a manager at an Abdullahpur-based garment factory, said it took him four hours and a half to reach home at Kaderabad Housing in Mohammadpur.
He got caught in first severe traffic congestion from Uttara-Jasimuddin Road to Airport and in the second one between Kalshi and Mirpur section-10.
Movement on the Kalshi-Mirpur section-10 route remained halted for hours due to rain, Mr Islam lamented.
However, many drivers told the FE that ongoing metro rail project has made roads narrower.
Again, half-done repair work and maintenance of utility services have heightened public sufferings, they said.
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