The monsoon's first rainfall in Dhaka on Thursday afternoon caused significant disruptions for passengers heading home for the Eid-ul-Azha to be celebrated on June 17.
The downpour set back the already-started exodus from the city, leading to severe traffic jams both within Dhaka and at its departure points.
Traffic flow was relatively normal on the highways on Thursday morning, but pressure mounted remarkably in the afternoon.
Major intersections on the Dhaka-Mymensingh and Dhaka-Tangail highways experienced severe traffic congestions.
Additional police forces were deployed, and drones were used to manage the traffic flow.
The Dhaka-Tangail and Dhaka-Mymensingh highways, two crucial routes passing through the Gazipur industrial belt, saw a huge traffic flow due to the large number of Eid home-goers travelling towards their destinations.
Special measures were taken to ensure a smooth journey, but the pressure of passengers increased in the afternoon due to partial holiday in the nearby factories.
By the evening, traffic jams extended several kilometers around Chandra, with buses occupying lanes to pick up passengers, creating long delay.
Bus driver Gulljar Hossain, travelling from Gabtali to Nilphamari, said they saw a huge traffic flow immediately after leaving Gabtali bus terminal and movement of vehicles slowed at various junctions including Savar, Nabinagar, Baipail, Sreepur, and Kobirpur.
Similar congestion was observed on the Dhaka-Mymensingh highway, particularly at intersections like Salna, Rajendrapur, Hotapara, and others.
Congestion due to passenger boarding and alighting was common but generally resolved after short delays.
Nawzor Highway Police Station's Officer-in-Charge Shahadat Hossain said that the heavy traffic was due to people travelling to their village homes for Eid and additional police personnel were deployed to assist normal vehicular movement.
The rain further slowed down traffic in the afternoon, he added.
Nazmus Saqib Khan, additional superintendent of police (Traffic) for Gazipur district, said that 750 policemen were deployed, including in Chandra, to manage the Eid traffic.
Drones were introduced on Thursday afternoon on the Dhaka-Tangail highway to aid in traffic management.
Meanwhile, northern region-bound buses from Shyamoli, Kalyanpur and Gabtoli witnessed 2.0-3.0 hours' delay amid traffic congestion at Aminbazar, Abdul Awal, manager of Nabil Paribahan at Majar Road counter, said.
Many people were also seen struggling to reach Gabtoli, Kalabagan, Jatrabari, Sayedabad, Arambagh and Mohakhali bus counters amid water logging in many places in the city for the heavy rainfall.
However, train schedules were also disrupted from Thursday evening as there was two to four hours' delay in leaving the city, according to sources at Kamalapur Railway Station.
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