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Cyclone Remal: Were we really ready to deal with Remal?

Chittagong:Heavy rainfall caused by Cyclone Remal has led to extensive inundation, with roads and alleys submerged on Monday morning. The resulting traffic jams left residents facing difficulties as water seeped into homes, shops and businesses.

Nurul Abshar, a Bahaddarhat resident, attributed the city’s flooding to its inadequate drainage system.

Commuters venturing out for urgent needs found themselves grappling with long lines of vehicles and resorting to rickshaw vans, often paying significantly higher fares than usual.

Mozammel Haque, a truck driver stranded in Muradpur due to traffic, said he was frustrated at being unable to move forward in the waterlogged streets

Many schools and colleges remained open as there had been no announcement of closures, causing inconvenience for parents who had to navigate through rain and waterlogging to take their children to school.

Kabir Hossain, a Shantibagh resident, described the situation with water reaching waist-high levels inside and outside his house, making it difficult for his children to even use the washroom. He expressed concern about the likelihood of water levels rising further.

Saifullah Bin Mortaza, a banker, told Dhaka Tribune that transport fares had surged significantly due to the heavy rainfall.

The Bangladesh Meteorological Department’s Patenga office reported significant rainfall, with 205.4mm recorded from Sunday morning to Monday 9am, including 132mm in the last three hours.

It warned of further rain throughout Monday and the possibility of landslides.

Chittagong City Corporation Chief Cleaning Officer Latiful Haque Kazmi said several teams had been dispatched to clear the waterlogged streets, while Additional Deputy Commissioner (General) Rakib Hasan assured the residents of the city that water levels would recede once rainfall decreased.

Dhaka:Four pedestrians, including three of a family, were electrocuted to death last night on a submerged road near Mirpur Commerce College after heavy rain created waterlogging in several areas in the capital. “The incident occurred near Mirpur Commerce College around 10:30pm. They died of electrocution as an electric wire broke and fell on the water on the road,” Mohammad Mohsin, officer-in-charge of Mirpur Police Station, told The Daily Star. The deceased are Mizan, an autorickshaw driver, his wife Mukta, their seven-year-old daughter Lima and another man named Anik.

The couple’s six-month-old child, who was also injured in the incident, was receiving treatment at the Dhaka Shishu Hospital.

The Mirpur OC said that the family lived in the Jhilpar slum area on Hajipara road. They got electrocuted while trying to cross the road. Anik was electrocuted while trying to save them.

After intermittent rain all day, a heavy shower in the late evening inundated a large part of the capital, flooding streets and causing the traffic system to almost collapse.

Streets in Dhanmondi, Elephant Road, New Market, Mirpur, Banani, Eskaton, Green Road, Panthapath, Shewrapara areas were submerged.

Even Manik Mia Avenue and Mirpur Road near Dhanmondi-27 were waterlogged and gridlocked as late as 2:00am today.

Scores of vehicles were seen broken down on submerged streets.

Many took to social media to express their frustration over being stuck in traffic for hours on end or being unable to wade through waist-deep water on certain streets.

People, mostly returning home after work, were seen taking shelter in front of various offices, markets, and shopping malls. They had serious trouble finding transport home.

Akash Roy was on the way to his Uttara home from Farmgate. He was stuck near Bijoy Sarani for two hours. He then decided to go towards Shewrapara where his CNG-run auto-rickshaw broke down on a street under knee-deep water.

Hafiz Mollah, who went to Karwan Bazar to buy fish in the evening, got stuck there until around 11:00pm. While trying to return to his Mirpur home, he got stuck on Manik Mia Avenue for over an hour. Then he started walking.

The Meteorological Department recorded 113mm of rain from 6:00pm to 12:00am yesterday, said Omar Faruq, a meteorologist of Bangladesh Meteorological Department.

Moderate to heavy rains are expected till today due to a low pressure in the northwest Bay of Bengal and surrounding areas, the meteorologist said.

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