Waterlogging brings traffic to a standstill in Dhaka

Heavy rainfall on Monday morning drenched Dhaka and left several areas of the city submerged.

As water seeped into engines, leaving many vehicles stranded, trees were uprooted and blocked roads in parts of the city, reports bdnews24.com.

Traffic congestion was reported across Dhaka from the start of the workday. As the day wore on, the gridlock only intensified, leaving commuters stranded for hours.

The Bangladesh Meteorological Department said 71mm of rain fell between 6am and 9am on Monday.

The downpour triggered waterlogging in Motijheel, Rajarbagh, Green Road, Panthapath, Dhanmondi, Bijoy Sarani, Mirpur No. 10, Kazipara, Kalshi Road, the stretch between Mirpur 1 and Technical Intersection, as well as in front of Balaka on Airport Road, Bashundhara Gate of Pragati Sarani, Bashundhara Residential Area, Khilgaon and South Banasree. A tree toppled onto the road at Technical Intersection, causing further disruption.

By the afternoon, long tailbacks stretched along roads from Banani to Tejgaon via Mohakhali, Rampura to Badda, Panthapath, Karwanbazar, Kakrail, Segunbagicha, Outer Circular Road, Press Club and Elephant Road.

Murad Hossain, an autorickshaw driver in Banani, said he was unable to reach Dhanmondi because of waterlogging.

“There is water all over the road. The traffic is not moving,” he said at 12pm.

“I had taken on passengers headed for Dhanmondi. Unable to enter the area, I had to return after driving around Panthapath. I have seen traffic jams all over the city today. However, the traffic jams had eased somewhat by noon.”

Others described similar delays.

Mohammad Jewel, a private sector worker, left Mugda for Mohakhali at 10am, a trip that normally takes 1.5 hours.

On Monday, it took him 2.5 hours.

“It took two hours to travel from Mugda Main Road to Rampura Abul Hotel,” he said.

“Buses are not running and the entire road is jammed. There was also water on the road. It took another 40 minutes to travel to Abul Hotel via the link road.”

Akash Rahman, another private sector employee from Mohakhali’s Dakkhinpara neighbourhood, described struggling through knee-deep water.

“When it rains for half an hour in a row in Dakkhinpara, the way gets waterlogged,” he said.

“There was also a traffic jam on the main road due to the rain. I reached the office with great difficulty after wading through the water and enduring the traffic jam.”

In Motijheel, water kept accumulating in front of the Agrani Bank head office as late as 1:30pm.

Mahmudul Kabir, who works at the Dilkusha petrol pump, said his team had to halt refuelling.

“There was waterlogging here due to the rain in the morning. That’s why we couldn’t refuel any vehicles,” he said.

“When the water receded around 10am, we started again. There was so much water that people were forced to take rickshaws from the metro rail or bus to reach their offices.”

Traffic was also snarled in Gulistan, Motijheel, Paltan and Fakirapul in the morning, though congestion eased later in the day.

Md Fazlul Karim, additional deputy commissioner of DMP Traffic Motijheel Division, said flooding at Shantinagar, Rajarbagh Police Lines Gates 1 and 2, the Shahjahanpur intersection and Motijheel caused the delays.

“As the roads were submerged due to heavy rain, it was difficult to control the vehicles,” he said.

“However, the situation is normal now. But the road in front of Rajarbagh Police Lines Gate No. 1 and 2 is still flooded. The water is slowly receding. As a result, there is still traffic congestion on that road.”

In Mirpur, vehicles remained stuck late into the morning, forcing passengers to abandon buses and wade through the water.

Dhaka Metropolitan Police (Traffic, Mirpur Division) Deputy Commissioner Gautam Kumar Biswas said breakdowns added to the gridlock.

“Water is still accumulating on the roads of Kazipara, Shewrapara and Mirpur 1,” he said at 11:30am.

“Many vehicles have broken down. Four buses are still stuck on the road. Trees have fallen on the road at the Technical Intersection. Due to this, there is still traffic jam on various roads in this area.”

In Uttara, Deputy Commissioner Md Anwar Sayeed said flooding in front of the airport, Kawla and Ashkona brought traffic to a standstill before office hours.

“However, the traffic movement has returned to normal,” he said.

“Since I came, I have seen water accumulating in front of the airport, Balaka, and the domestic terminal. The drainage system here is not good, so water accumulates during the rain.”