Dhaka got deluged Sunday following overnight torrential rain that crippled normal life and business and pushed parts of Bangladesh deeper into a flood emergency.
Widespread water-logging disrupted motor traffic and three-wheelers had a day as pullers-drivers charged exorbitant fares as people got stranded at different points.
The capital city's Banani Kakoli area -- a multimodal transport nodal point with flyover and elevated expressway -- looked like veritable lake of trapped rainwater.
"Many parts of the city plunged under knee-to wait-deep water as long maintenance-neglected drainage system got choked," says a firsthand account of the situation.
Meanwhile, the disaster-ravaged Chattogram region, still recovering from a week of devastating floods, was hit by another round of heavy rainfall, raising fears of fresh inundation and landslides.
The Ministry of Disaster Management has said a total 51 people have died in seven districts in the Chattogram division while flooding left 39 injured.
It says 1,049 shelters have been opened where over 38,420 people have taken refuge.
In Dhaka, office-goers waded through waterlogged roads and streets to reach workplaces, traffic crawled for hours and schools suspended examinations.
Meanwhile, thousands of families in the southeast remained marooned, struggling for food, drinking water and electricity after days of flooding.Demographics
Bangladesh Meteorological Department (BMD) says an active monsoon combined with a low-pressure system over the Bay of Bengal triggered widespread heavy rainfall across the country and warns that rains are likely to persist over the next few days. Dhaka recorded 76 millimetres of rainfall between midnight and 6:00 am on Sunday, while the 24-hour rainfall between Saturday 6:00pm to Sunday 6:00 pm reached 175mm -- the highest in the country during the time.
The downpour once again exposed the city's chronic drainage failures as roads across Motijheel, Fakirer Pool, Kamalapur, Green Road, Panthapath, Dhanmondi, Mohammadpur, Bashundhara Residential Area, Tejturi Bazar, Kalshi, Kazipara, Shewrapara, Monipur, Karwan Bazar, Bijoy Sarani, Manik Mia Avenue, New Market, Shyambazar, Jurain and parts of Old Dhaka disappeared beneath murky floodwater within hours.
Thousands of commuters abandoned vehicles and walked through knee-deep water. Rickshaw fares surged sharply while many battery-operated three-wheelers broke down after their engines were submerged.
Bank branches, usually crowded on the first working day of the week, reported unusually low customer turnout as persistent raining kept clients indoors.
Water also entered residential lanes in several neighbourhoods, forcing families to remain stranded inside their homes. overnight rainfall caused severe waterlogging in the area, while electricity to the market was disconnected as a safety measure.
After a brief respite, heavy rain returned overnight, inundating roads in Agrabad, Halishahar, Bakalia, Chandgaon, Chawkbazar, Katalganj and Patenga, where floodwater again entered houses and business establishments.
Chattogram Meteorological Office recorded 136.8mm rainfall during the 24 hours until 9:00 am Sunday, including 129 millimetres in just 12 hours.
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