A sudden two-hour downpour early Friday morning triggered severe waterlogging across the capital. While the heavy rain brought welcome relief from a prolonged week-long heatwave, it left many major roads submerged, disrupting morning commutes.
Fortunately, public suffering was somewhat mitigated due to lighter traffic on the May Day public holiday.
The rain began shortly after 5:00 AM and continued heavily until 7:00 AM. Within hours, major roads in Malibagh, Mouchak, Moghbazar, Green Road, Karwan Bazar, Panthapath, Jigatala, Dhanmondi, West Tejturi Bazar, West Shewrapara, Mirpur-10, Kazipara, and Madhubagh were underwater.
In several neighborhoods, stagnant water remained on the streets well past 10:30 AM. Commuter Shariful Islam, traveling from Badda, reported that the stretch from Malibagh Railgate to Mouchak was entirely flooded at 10:00 AM, forcing him to wade through knee-deep water to reach his destination.
Similar scenes unfolded across the capital, with water levels reaching the footrests of rickshaws in some low-lying areas.
The flooded streets also led to a noticeable shortage of public buses. Consequently, many residents were forced to walk or rely on rickshaws. Commuters alleged that rickshaw pullers took advantage of the situation, charging nearly double the usual fare in affected areas.
The Bangladesh Meteorological Department (BMD) has indicated that the wet weather is likely to persist. According to the latest BMD forecast, heavy to very heavy rainfall is expected to continue across parts of six divisions—Dhaka, Mymensingh, Khulna, Barishal, Chattogram, and Sylhet—over the next 48 hours.
