Relentless rain on the first working day of the week has caused severe disruption for commuters in Dhaka, with waterlogging leaving traffic barely moving on many roads.
Although it has been raining for several days during the monsoon, continuous rainfall began around midnight on Saturday. The Bangladesh Meteorological Department recorded 76 mm of rain in the six hours until 6:00 am on Sunday, the highest rainfall of the season so far.
"I have never seen such rain in Dhaka," said Asif Hossain, who was stranded in his car in the Kazipara area.
Asif had set out early for an official trip to Narayanganj, but by 7:30 am, his car stalled in Kazipara after water entered the engine. After sitting in his vehicle for three hours, he added, "I can't move forward and I'm in no position to head back home either."
While the Metro Rail continued to operate above, parts of the road in Kazipara were under knee-deep water, leading to an acute crisis of public transport.
Md. Shimul, who had been waiting 40 minutes for his university bus, said, "I don't know when it will arrive. All I can do is wait."
The situation was similar in Shewrapara and Agargaon, where waterlogged roads left commuters waiting in the rain.
Sayra Begum was waiting for a bus in Agargaon to travel to Mohakhali. After standing there for an hour, she had still not found a vehicle. "I'm in a terrible situation," she said. "My office is in Mohakhali, but I don't know if I can make it.”
Nazrul Islam, a resident of Shewrapara, reported that the main road and surrounding alleys in front of the Shewrapara branch of Monipur High School and College were completely submerged.
The school is currently holding its half-yearly examinations. Due to the severe weather and flooding, the authorities suspended the ongoing exams.
Overnight downpour inundates roads, schools suspend exams
Heavy rain that began late Saturday night and continued through Sunday morning inundated roads across Dhaka, disrupting traffic and prompting several schools to suspend mid-year and other examinations.
Rain started overnight and intensified before dawn, with showers continuing through the morning.
By around 6:30 am, roads in Green Road, Tejturibazar, Panthapath, Monipuripara, Bashundhara Residential Area, Dhanmondi 27, Dhanmondi 32, Mohammadpur, Bijoynagar and Kazipara were submerged, with water ranging from knee-deep to waist-deep in some areas. Knee-deep water was also reported on Mirpur's main roads.
Nazrul Islam, a resident of Shewrapara, said the main road and surrounding lanes in front of Monipur High School and College's Shewrapara Branch-3 had gone underwater.
The school was holding mid-year examinations, but parents became concerned about sending their children to campus because of the flooding. After they contacted teachers and school authorities requesting a postponement, the institution suspended all examinations scheduled for Sunday at the branch.
Ashish Ur Rahman, a resident of Jigatola, said his daughter studies at Viqarunnisa Noon School and College. The school suspended the Class IX mid-year examination, the Class X pre-test examination and the Class XI practical examination at its Bailey Road campus because of the rain.
A Class IX student from Kalabagan said YWCA Higher Secondary Girls' School suspended its mid-year examinations at the Green Road campus.
Eva Tania Chowdhury, also from Kalabagan, said her daughter, a Class IX student at Bir Sreshtha Noor Mohammad Public College, was informed that Sunday's examination had been postponed because of the weather.
Parents and students also reported that examinations at Nalanda School in Shankar had been suspended.
Golam Kibria, a resident of Bashundhara Residential Area, said authorities at Navy Anchorage School and College in Khilkhet notified parents in the morning that examinations for several classes had been postponed.
Shamima Nasrin, a resident of Crescent Road, said water had risen to nearly waist level on roads in her area.
Floodwater also disrupted transport services across the city, with some vehicles breaking down after water entered their engines.
Journalist Partha Shankar Saha said he paid Tk 400 for a CNG-run auto-rickshaw from Monipuripara to Karwan Bazar after dropping his son at school in Asad Gate. He said even the internal roads in Monipuripara, which usually remain dry, were flooded.
Journalist Anindya Saimum left Adabor at around 6:30 am and encountered knee-deep water near Mohammadpur Police Station and on roads behind Dhanmondi 27 and Dhanmondi 32 before reaching his workplace after walking through the floodwater.
Another journalist, Zinnia Chowdhury, said she saw knee-deep water on Green Road and Panthapath while travelling from Kalabagan to Karwan Bazar around 6:45 am. Roads inside Kalabagan, which normally do not flood, were also submerged.
