Light rain yesterday caused severe traffic congestion at different parts of the capital, inflicting sufferings to the city dwellers.
Commuters, especially office-goers, and schoolchildren, had to spend at least 30 minutes to an hour more to reach their destinations.
A low over the northwest Bay of Bengal caused the rainfall. About 10 millimetres (mm) of rainfall was recorded in the capital in 12 hours since 6:00am. The highest 35mm rainfall was recorded in Satkhira during the corresponding time.
Traffic movement on Mirpur Road, Kazi Nazrul Islam Avenue and Begum Rokeya Sarani was either partially halted or remained very slow. Construction work on the dilapidated roads compounded the people’s sufferings.
Tapan Chandra Das, a resident of Demra, said he was late to reach his office at Farmgate due to severe traffic congestion.
“I faced the jam first at Matsya Bhaban intersection and then on Kazi Nazrul Islam Avenue where I was stuck for an hour,” he said.
Mohsin Habib, an employee of a private company, said he had a minor accident at Shewrapara while going to his office at Karwan Bazar as a private car rammed his motorcycle thanks to the dilapidated condition of Begum Rokeya Sarani.
“A large part of the road was battered due to construction work for metro rail. This narrowed down the road, making it pretty difficult for the vehicles to move amid huge presence of rickshaws,” he said.
The met office has meanwhile forecast that rain might continue over the city and the middle and southern parts of the country till September 24 due to the low. The rainfall is likely to increase further after September 25.
“Light to moderate rain or thunder showers accompanied by temporary gusty wind are likely to occur at most places of Dhaka, Khulna, Barisal and Chittagong divisions and at many places of Rajshahi, Mymensingh and Sylhet divisions,” the forecast says.
Besides, the meteorological department advised hoisting the local cautionary signal no three for the maritime ports, including Chittagong, Cox’s Bazar and Mongla.
Abul Kalam Mallik, a meteorologist of Bangladesh Meteorological Department, told this correspondent that the monsoon was still active over the country and the northern Bay of Bengal, and the rain was normal in the season.
“We will take a decision about the signal at the ports after observing the weather till 10:00am tomorrow [today],” he said.
Source: The Daily Star
