October 6, 2023
DHAKA – Incessant rain yesterday pounded Dhaka and other parts of the country, causing city dwellers to suffer and disrupting traffic.
In the capital, traffic was crawling on many streets since the afternoon and it got worse in the evening during the rush hour. Many were seen stranded for hours at different parts of the capital. Amid the pouring rain, some walked and waded through stagnant water to get home.
“Coming out of my Karwan Bazar office around 8:30pm, I found vehicles stuck on the road. I could not avail any transport to go home. So, I started walking in rain,” said Alamgir, a resident of Mirpur-10.
The Met office said the rain, which was caused due to the low pressure over Bangladesh, is likely to continue for one or two more days.
“Rain is likely to continue in Dhaka and northern areas of the country tomorrow [today]. Rain may decrease from Saturday and the situation may improve by Sunday and Monday,” meteorologist Bazlur Rashid told The Daily Star.
Traffic jams were reported at Farmgate, Panthapath, Bijoy Sarani, Banani, Mohakhali, Karwan Bazar, Banglamotor, Shahbagh, Shyamoli, and Dhanmondi.
Vehicles were seen stuck at the Farmgate exit ramp of the Dhaka Elevated Expressway. A correspondent of this newspaper boarded a BRTC double-decker in airport area around 5:30pm. It took the bus only 12 minutes to reach the Farmgate exit ramp, but it got stuck there for over an hour. Angry passengers got off and started walking.
City dwellers said CNG-run auto-rickshaws charged passengers exuberantly. In many areas, vehicles and rickshaws went against traffic creating further congestion.
In Mymensingh city, many areas went under knee- to waist-deep water.