According to Bangla calendar, today (Saturday) is the beginning of Ashar, the first month of the rainy season. The monsoon, which constitutes Ashar and Sravan (early June and mid-August), causes heavy rain in the country.
However, with the arrival of monsoon, waterlogging fear starts haunting city dwellers. Many areas in the capital witness severe waterlogging every year due to torrential rains with the onset of monsoon, disrupting the normal life.
Triggered by active monsoon, Dhaka reels under rainwater with traffic tailback everywhere and commuters are seen wading through rainwater. These are the chaotic scenes we see in the capital city every year during the monsoon.
The waterlogging has become a regular phenomenon during the rainy season. During monsoon, city people face difficulties in moving to any place if rain inundates key roads of the city as they have to wade through knee-deep water.
Many parts of the city, including Dhanmondi, Rokeya Sarani, Kazipara, Shewrapara, Senpara Parbata, Merul Badda, Gulshan, Bijoy Sarani, Mouchak, Malibagh, Shantinagar, Arambagh, Motijheel, Sukrabad, Kalabagan, Gulistan, Manik Mia Avenue and Old Dhaka are inundated by the rainwater. Even the country’s administrative hub, the Secretariat, also goes under knee-deep water.
Besides, lanes and by-lanes in the capital also go under ankle to knee- deep water. People, mainly office-goers and students who go out of home for various works, suffer a lot due to waterlogging and traffic jam.
With the arrival of monsoon,
waterlogging fear
starts haunting city dwellers.
The two Dhaka city corporations must take immediate measures and work together to free the capital from waterlogging. The responsibility of Dhaka’s drainage system and canals has already been handed over to the Dhaka South City Corporation (DSCC) and Dhaka North City Corporation (DNCC) to ease perennial waterlogging in Dhaka.
The two city mayors must play a very important role in drainage management and renovation works to ensure normal water flow of the canals. We think all necessary measures should be taken to rid the city people of waterlogging problem.
On the other hand, rampant road digging work in rainy season intensifies sufferings to the city people, leaving a narrow space for them to commute their respective areas. The city corporations and other government agencies start digging and renovating work of roads, sewerage lines, median and walkway in many busy areas of the capital with the onset of the monsoon.
After a moderate spell of rain, the entire area get submerged and muddy, creating severe traffic congestion and hampering the movement of pedestrians. The rain also causes waterlogging at different spots of city thoroughfares, adding to the woes of city dwellers.
The roads, lanes and by-lanes in the city take a bad shape with the arrival of the rainy season. Keeping in mind the ongoing development worksn, the agencies will have to complete the works immediately to free the city people from sufferings during the monsoon. The DSCC, DNCC and other government agencies have to be more efficient and dynamic in monitoring and coordinating the road excavating work; otherwise people’s sufferings will mount further in this monsoon.
