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Rain cripples city life

Staff Correspondent
Spells of torrential rain throughout the country played havoc especially with city life yesterday, submerging many streets and causing daylong gridlock in a virtual collapse of the capital’s traffic system.
According to the Met Office, Dhaka received 53 mm of rain in the 12 hours till 6.00 pm yesterday while the highest rainfall during the period was recorded at 109 mm InKutubdia
According to th^.hulletin of flood forecasting and warning centre, significant rainfall was recorded during the last 24 hours ending at 6:00 am yesterday, /ill the rivers were flowing below their respective danger levels except the Tista at Dalia, which is flowing at danger level in the morning, the bulletin said.
The ceaseless deluge that began in the morning turned much of the capital into a swamp, disrupung normal life and commuters and trade were the worst affected as traffic came to a virtual standstill in many places in the city.
A number of major thoroughfares as well as lanes and by-lanes were inundated as the drainage system was clogged with rubbish deposited by the flow of water.
The sufferings of the commuters worsened in places where road digging works of different utility service providers severely interrupted smooth vehicular movement.
The roads including and around Gabtoli, Mohakhali and Saycdabad intercity bus terminals, major intersections at Jatrabari, Bijay Sarani, Songargaon Hotel, Bangla Motor, Shahbagh, New Market. Matshaya Bhaban, Motijheel, Shantinagar and Mirpur Road and many streets of Old Dhaka saw unending traffic jams.
"It took me 'almost three hours to come to Karwan Bazar from Uttara,” said Monir a jobholder of Kawan Bazar.
Another service holder, Salma, said that it took her over two hours to get to Karwan Bazar from Shahbagh at around 2:00 in the afternoon.
Badda, Dernra, Madartek, Manda, Shantingar, Trimohoni, Motijheel, Shantinagar, Fakirapoo, Shonargaon Road, Monipuripara, Kazipara. Mirpur-10, Pallabi, Mohammadpur. Manik Mia Avenue, parts of old town and DND areas were the worst affected in water-logging, which is a common sight even in moderate rainfall for locals living there.
Managing director of Dhaka WASA Raiohanul Abedin said they have taken different initiatives to tackle the water logging but that it takes time to drain-out the clogged water during heavy pours.
We have taken up a plan to set up 145 temporary pumps at different places in the city and 73 have already been set up. 'he said.
Three permanent pumps ofWASA and Dhaka Water Development Board are also active at Narinda, Kollayanpur and at Goran-Chatban. he said.