Heavy rains disrupt normal life, business across country

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Rescuers busy in their operation (left) while a woman is wailing over her loss as landslide, triggered by torrential rainfall, caused at least 76 deaths in different parts of Chittagong district Monday. — FocusBangla photos

FE Report
Incessant rainfall continued to bring untold sufferings for the city dwellers for the second consecutive day Monday halting normal business activities as people were confined to their workplaces and residences.
Almost all the roads and streets in the city have been submerged due to rainfall over the last few days caused by early monsoon weather conditions.
The Met officials are not optimistic on the cessation of the downpour in the next two to three days, a senior Met office told the FE over telephone Monday.
The capital's main business hubs like Motijheel, Dilkusha, old Dhaka and Purana Paltan were submerged by the monsoon rainfall.
The transaction in the banks started late and the trading on the country's premier bourse Dhaka Stock Exchange (DSE) was hampered due to continuous rainfall Monday.
The heavy downpour that started Saturday midnight submerged most of the streets and low-lying areas in the city causing untold sufferings especially to office-goers and students until Monday.
The Met official said they have recorded 29 milimetre rainfall in the city until 3pm Monday and the highest rainfall in the country was recorded in Sitakundo at 129 milimetre during the same period.
There was also moderate to heavy shower across the country, as southwest monsoon has set in all over the country.
The Met official also said the southwest wind that started blowing over the country from last Saturday night heralded the advent of rainy season marked by heavy shower.
However, the downpour exposed the pitiable conditions of the city's drainage system. Roads, lanes and by-lanes experienced serious water-logging problem.
Students did not turn up at their respective institutions, while many office-goers, traders, workers fell behind their daily schedules due to the incessant rainfall.
Activities at the business district of Motijheel suffered badly as most roads went under ankle-to-knee deep water Sunday. Sources said the production in industries was less than normal on the day due to poor attendance of workers.
Some areas, particularly Mirpur witnessed serious traffic congestion on the day as rain-water flooded a substantial part of the Rokeya Sarani.
Sources said some areas within and outside the Dhaka-Narayanganj-Demra embankment went under knee-deep water. Water entered the ground floor of the residential houses in the area.
Water logging has also caused suffering to the residents of Mirpur, Shewrapara, Bijoysarani, Sabujbag, Khilgaon, Shyampur and Demra, Mouchak, Shantinagar, Kakrail, Maghbazar. Many vehicles remained stranded in knee-to-waist deep water at many places.
Rickshaws emerged as a means of relief in the water-logged areas. People in areas where utility service agencies such as water and gas supply agencies have dug up roads faced deeper troubles.
UNB adds: In Sherpur, low-lying areas of 15 unions of Sreebardi, Jhenaigati, Nokla and Nolitabari upazilas were inundated by heavy rain and onrush of hill waters, leaving over 10,000 people virtually marooned.
More than 300 houses went under water and the Jhenaigati-Sreebardi road went under water snapping communications between the two places. Water was flowing four feet above the ground level in the area.
In Habiganj, 10 unions of three upazilas were inundated by the flashflood and rise of water level in Khowai river.
Various embankments, including the town-protection embankment, were at risk. The Khowai was flowing 240 centimetres above the danger level.
Water Development Board (WDB) sources said water level in the Khowai crossed the danger level due to the onrush of hill waters from across the border in Tripura State of India.
In Bogra, low-lying areas of the district were inundated and water logging was created due to incessant rain for the last three days.