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MONSOON MISERY
Waterlogging dampens Eid celebrations, inflicts suffering on Dhaka dwellers
HELEMUL ALAM and DIPAN NANDY
On July 1, the last day of the Eid holidays, the intermittent rain in the morning followed by an hour-long downpour in the afternoon submerged several neighbourhoods of Dhaka in knee- to waist-deep water, effectively washing away tall claims of monsoon preparedness by the city corporations.
The Meteorological Department reported that Dhaka witnessed 91mm of rainfall on the day.
The capital, which had been celebrating Eid, was left in a state of dismay as streets in various areas, including Sayedabad, Panthapath, Rampura, Mirpur, Badda, Malibagh, Khilgaon, and Rajarbagh, transformed into murky waterways.
The situation persisted over the previous two days, leaving the Eid festivities dampened, with many other locations, such as Alauddin Road, Shikkatuli, Kayettuli, Nazirabazar, Matuail, and Rayerbag enduring prolonged waterlogging.
STORIES OF SUFFERINGS
Waterlogging at the Shishu-Matri Sastha Institute in Matuail caused immense sufferings for patients and their attendants. They had to wade through ankle-to-knee deep water to go to the hospital.
Locals also blamed poor drainage system for this recurring issue.
A distressed mother of a newborn shared her ordeal, stating that she had to visit the hospital for the past three days, braving knee-deep water.
Meanwhile as the rain subsided, residents like Johirul Islam found the roads in Nazirabazar completely submerged.
Harun-ur Rashid, commuting from the New Market area, encountered waterlogged streets that disrupted normal vehicular movement.
Rashida Khanom from East Jurain highlighted the inundation of various roads in the area.
Asked, Adil Mohammad Khan, former general secretary of Bangladesh Institute of Planners, emphassed the urgent need to improve the drainage system in Old Dhaka, where concrete-covered areas exacerbate the waterlogging problem.
“Improving the drainage capacity could significantly reduce the suffering caused by waterlogging,” he said.
According to the Met Department, Mymensingh faced the highest 124mm rainfall in the last 24 hours till 6:00am yesterday, while Dhaka experienced 80mm rainfall during this time.
Light to moderate rain/thunder showers accompanied by temporary gusty wind is likely to occur at most places over Rangpur, Rajshahi, Mymensingh and Sylhet divisions while moderately heavy to very heavy rainfall may happen at many places over Khulna, Dhaka, Barishal and Chattogram in the next 24 hours starting from 9:00am yesterday, it said.
THE CITY CORPORATIONS’ TAKE
In May, DSCC Mayor Sheikh Fazle Noor Taposh announced that they had invested Tk 225 crore in constructing infrastructure at 136 locations to prevent waterlogging, assuring that roads would not go underwater after rainfall.
When asked about the assurance, DSCC spokesperson Md Abu Naser attributed the current waterlogging situation to continuous rain, stating that water was not receding normally due to increased water levels in catchment areas like Hatirjheel.
“Besides, residents dump plastic bottles and solid garbage into drains, which further blocks the drainage system,” he said.
Nonetheless, he assured that their team was swiftly responding to reports and successfully minimising the duration of waterlogging.
Contacted, Selim Reza, the chief executive officer of Dhaka North City Corporation, acknowledged the impact of heavy rainfall in the past three days, admitting that some measures did not work as intended.
“But our team worked hard to remove water at the earliest. So, waterlogging did not last long,” he claimed.