Dhaka residents suffer due to heavy downpour for six hours

On Thursday evening till midnight, Dhaka experienced heavy rainfall accompanied by lightning and gusty winds. During this time, a power line was torn down, falling into the water accumulation on the road opposite the Jhilpar slums, near Commerce College in Mirpur.

Tragically, four members of a family were electrocuted on this waterlogged road, resulting in the death of three of them. A seven-month-old child from the same family is in critical condition and is currently receiving treatment at a hospital in Dhaka. Additionally, a young individual lost his life while attempting to rescue this family.

Due to the heavy rains, waterlogging occurred on various roads in the capital, almost bringing traffic to a halt. This resulted in severe traffic congestion in different areas of the capital, even at midnight. It was also reported that power connections were severed in many areas due to the rain.

This image of traffic jam at midnight was the same throughout the whole city. Earlier, several hundred vehicles were stuck on capital’s Begum Rokeya Sarani due to rain and waterlogging around 11:00pm. Innumerous vehicles were seen stranded on the road around 10:15pm. The picture was the same in Mirpur, Dhanmondi, Nilkhet, Katabon and Hatirpool areas too.

Meanwhile, a huge tree fell onto the street in front of the house no. 22 at Dhanmondi-14 around 9:00pm. Nobody was hurt but it caused severe traffic congestion on the road. Fire service said that the tree was so big that they couldn’t remove it.

During the night, the Fire Service control room reported distress calls from various locations, indicating severed power lines falling into accumulated water in some places or fires breaking out in others.

Additional commissioner (traffic) for Dhaka Metropolitan Police (DMP), Md Munibur Rahman around 12:00am told Prothom Alo that due to the clogged drainage system, different areas of Dhaka city was submerged under water in the heavy rainfall. Vehicles were moving slowly on the road because of that.

In some places, vehicles were unable to move because of too much waterlogging. Meanwhile, the rain also continued so, the water didn’t recede either. These led to severe traffic congestion on different roads. People got stuck in vehicles. Yet, the traffic police members were performing their duties in those places, he added.

The meteorological department stated that there has been 113 mm of rain in Dhaka between 6:00pm and 12:00am. There are chances of rain on Friday also. Besides Dhaka there was rain in Rangpur and Mymensingh divisions in the evening stated the meteorological department.

In Friday’s forecast the meteorological department said that there might be light to moderate rain with gusty winds in most parts of Rajshahi, Rangpur, Mymensingh and Sylhet divisions and in many parts of Dhaka, Khulna, Barishal and Chattogram divisions. And, there might be lighting at the time. Alongside that, there might be moderate to heavy rains in some parts of Rangpur, Rajshahi and Mymensingh divisions.