Overnight heavy rainfall brought the capital Dhaka to a standstill on Wednesday, leaving many parts of the city, including the Old Town, submerged and many roads congested with traffic.
According to the Bangladesh Meteorological Department, the city recorded 206 millimetres of rainfall between 6:00am Tuesday and 6:00am Wednesday.
The met office鈥檚 meteorologist, Shahnaz Sultana, told 抖阴精品 that this was the highest rainfall recorded in 24 hours in the city this year.
Between 6:00am and 12:00pm on Wednesday, the city recorded another five millimetres of rainfall, she added.
The met office also issued a heavy rainfall alert for all eight divisions for the next three days, along with a landslide warning for the hill districts.
Signal number 3 was raised for the country鈥檚 four maritime ports, while inland river ports in Dhaka, Cumilla and Noakhali regions were advised to hoist cautionary signal no 1.
The incessant downpour, which began in the early hours of Wednesday, left large parts of the city inundated.
In the morning, city dwellers found the roads submerged, while in some areas the water was knee deep or higher.
Areas hit hard by the water stagnation included Green Road, several roads at Dhanmondi, Asad Gate, Jigatola, New Market, Dhaka University campus, Bijoy Sarani, Kazipara, Shewrapara, Mirpur, Kalshi, airport area, Banani, Bashundhara, Banasree, Rampura, Badda, Karwan Bazar, Khilgaon, Mouchak, Maghbazar, Malibagh, Shantinagar, Shahjahanpur, Rajarbagh, Motijheel, Kakrail, Paltan, Hatirpool, Bashundhara, Monipuripara, Jurain and Old Town鈥檚 Bakshibazar and Umesh Datta Road.
Although the number of vehicles on roads was relatively low in the morning on Wednesday as the day was a public holiday on the occasion of Durga Puja, the largest religious festival of the Hindus in the country, commuters who ventured out faced immense sufferings due to stagnant water.
Vehicles were seen running on a single queue where water level was high that created congestion on some roads.
Water stagnation was also seen in front of the main buildings of Dhaka Medical College Hospital. So, patients and their companions faced difficulties to enter the hospital.
At New Market, knee-deep water had been seen since morning.
Traders in the area said that they could not open their shops till 1:00pm due to water stagnation and they faced huge losses in the Durga Puja season.
Members of the quick response team of Dhaka South City Corporation were seen pumping out water from New Market in the afternoon.
At Rampura, members of the quick response team of Dhaka North City Corporation were seen pumping out water from a road.
抖阴精品 correspondent at Jahangirnagar University reported that a section of residents of Savar blocked the Dhaka鈥揂richa national highway on Wednesday, demanding long-term solutions to water stagnation in two neighbourhoods.
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On the day, water stagnation was seen at Fulbaria and Shovapur areas at Savar, on the outskirts of Dhaka, following the rainfall.
The met office on Wednesday issued signal number 3 for the country鈥檚 four maritime ports 鈥� Chattogram, Cox鈥檚 Bazar, Mongla and Payra, as a low pressure area has formed over the west-central Bay of Bengal and adjacent areas.
All fishing boats and trawlers over the North Bay were advised to come close to the coast and proceed with caution till further notice.
The met office also issued another warning valid from 3:00pm Wednesday to 1:00am today.
It said that rain or thunderstorms accompanied by temporary south-east or easterly gusty or squally wind was likely to occur over the regions of Khulna, Barishal, Patuakhali, Cumilla, Noakhali, Chattogram and Cox鈥檚 Bazar where inland river ports would hoist cautionary signal no 1.
In the weather forecast, valid for five days commencing from 9:00am on Wednesday, the met office said that light to moderate rain or thunderstorms accompanied by temporary gusty wind was likely to occur at most places over Rangpur, Rajshahi, Mymensingh, Dhaka, Khulna, Barishal, Chattogram and Sylhet divisions with heavy to very heavy falls at places over the country.