Commuters suffer as downpour leaves Dhaka streets waterlogged

Downpour triggered waterlogging in different parts of the capital on Sunday morning, causing suffering for commuters.

The rain, accompanied by thunderstorms, started after 4:00am and continued until around 8:00am, according to the Bangladesh Meteorological Department (BMD).

It recorded 49 mm of rainfall in Dhaka between 12:00am and 9:00am.

Roads in many areas, including Malibagh, Mouchak, Moghbazar, Green Road, Karwan Bazar, Panthapath, Jigatala, Dhanmondi, West Tejturi Bazar, West Shewrapara, Mirpur-10, Kazipara, Paltan and Madhubagh, were inundated by the downpour.

Commuters, especially office-goers and students, faced difficulties reaching their destinations due to a shortage of public transport and waterlogged roads.

In many areas, vehicles moved slowly while pedestrians waded through the waterlogged streets.

Jamal Hossain was travelling from Badda to his office in Mouchak.

“After getting down from the bus at Malibagh Railgate, I had to wade through knee-deep water to reach my destination. The entire stretch between the Railgate and Mouchak remained waterlogged,” he said.

Jamal also said severe traffic congestion developed on the road from Rampura TV Centre to Abul Hotel crossing, compounding commuters’ woes.

Commuters experienced similar difficulties in other parts of the city, with water reaching the footrests of rickshaws in some places.

There was also a shortage of buses due to the rain and waterlogged streets, forcing many people to rely on rickshaws or walk.

Rickshaw pullers were seen charging higher fares, in some cases nearly double the usual fares.

According to the BMD, light to moderate rain or thundershowers accompanied by temporary gusty winds are likely at a few places over Khulna, Barishal, Chattogram and Sylhet divisions and at one or two places over Rangpur, Rajshahi, Mymensingh and Dhaka divisions, with moderately heavy falls at places across the country.

A mild heat wave is sweeping over Sylhet division and the districts of Gopalganj, Narayanganj, Bogura, Netrokona, Cumilla, Chandpur, Feni, Chattogram, Lakshmipur, Khulna, Satkhira and Barishal, and it may continue, it said.

Day and night temperatures may remain nearly unchanged over the country.

Rain improves Dhaka’s air quality

Rainfall has improved Dhaka’s air quality to the “moderate” category, with the city recording an air quality index (AQI) score of 61 on Sunday morning.

The rain, which lashed different parts of the capital, helped improve the city’s air quality, which often deteriorates during the dry season.

With an AQI score of 61 at 11:45am, Dhaka ranked 36th on the list of world cities with the worst air quality.

Malaysia’s Kuala Lumpur, India’s Delhi and Malaysia’s Kuching occupied the first three spots in the list, with AQI scores of 172, 167 and 165, respectively.

An AQI between zero and 50 is considered “good”.

When the AQI value for particle pollution is between 101 and 150, air quality is considered “unhealthy for sensitive groups”, between 150 and 200 is “unhealthy”, between 201 and 300 is said to be “very unhealthy”, while a reading of 301+ is considered “hazardous”, posing serious health risks to residents.

The AQI, an index for reporting daily air quality, informs people how clean or polluted the air of a certain city is and what associated health effects might be a concern for them.

The AQI in Bangladesh is based on five pollutants: particulate matter (PM10 and PM2.5), NO2, CO, SO2, and ozone.

Dhaka has long been grappling with air pollution issues. Its air quality usually turns unhealthy in winter and improves during the monsoon.