Breaking a 53-year old record for rainfall in a 24-hour period in July, Dhaka experienced a recorded 333mm downpour on Monday night.
Normal business and life activities came to an almost standstill as the city’s overused infrastructure and drainage systems completely clogged, leaving thousands of commuters and school children stranded at home or stuck in the waterlogged streets.
Some the city schools declared suspended their scheduled classes and examinations this morning. Meanwhile, public transport that managed to function was in high demand, including boats in the Mirpur area.
Seven people were reportedly killed in the chaos and flooding affected homes and important markets. Furthermore, two international flights (Malaysian Airlines from Kuala Lumpur and Dragon Air from Hong Kong) were rerouted after being told they were unable to land at Zia International Airport.
One
resident commented that the lack of preparedness to deal with the situation was
another example of Dhaka’s overstretched and crumbling infrastructure.
The unusually heavy rain occurred due to a conjunction of a monsoon front and a
depression in the Bay of Bengal.