Waterlogging woes persist in parts of Dhaka even after 24 hours

Although 24 hours have passed since the heavy downpour that flooded parts of Dhaka, several areas in the capital remain waterlogged today, causing significant inconvenience to residents.

The rain, which lasted 3-4 hours on Friday (12 July) morning, left some city streets and neighbourhoods inundated, and the situation has yet to improve.

Residents from various parts of the city, including Bakshibazar, parts of Dhaka University, the Buet campus, Mirpur's Kazipara, and areas in Mohammadpur and Jatrabari, have reported ongoing issues with standing water. 

A Jatrabari resident, Shakhawat Hussain, expressed his frustration, saying, "After yesterday's rain, water entered our house flooding the ground floor. There is still water on the road. I went out in the morning and had to pay three times the rickshaw fare."

Osman, a student from Dhaka University's Shahidullah Hall, described the persistent flooding around the university area. 

"Water is still lingering on the roads and areas around the hall. If this is the result of just a few hours of rain, then if it rains all day, it would take at least three days for the water to recede," he said.

According to the public relations officer of Dhaka North City Corporation (DNCC), the main roads in the northern parts of the city are free from waterlogging. 

"However, challenges remain in areas such as Dakshinkhan and Uttarakhan, as well as some branch roads in Mirpur and Mohammadpur," he told The Business Standard.

The officer assured that workers are diligently working to remove the standing rainwater.

Earlier, Nasim Ahmed, chief waste management officer of Dhaka South, said the city corporation's drainage systems had been damaged due to the construction work of the metro rail.

He said, "We have taken several plans to recover the canals and improve the drainage system, and the work is ongoing. We hope the city residents will see these benefits within the next one or two years."

Blaming the city residents for waterlogging, Nasim said, "The city's residents are not conscious. They encroach on canals, dump plastic waste in drains, blocking them, and then blame the city corporation. 

"There are certainly weaknesses in our work. But the existing infrastructure would have been sufficient to solve Dhaka's waterlogging if the city's residents were conscious," he added.

With 130 millimetres of rainfall in six hours from 6am to 12pm yesterday (12 July), many roads in the capital were inundated.