Heavy rainfall leads to widespread waterlogging in major Bangladesh cities

DHAKA, June 2 (Xinhua) - Heavy rain continued to batter many parts of Bangladesh on Monday, disrupting people's lives in major cities including the capital Dhaka.

The continuous rain over the past few days has once again exposed the deplorable state of Dhaka's drainage system.

Roads, streets, and alleys in certain areas of the city were submerged in water ranging from ankle to knee depth, creating significant difficulties for commuters and millions of residents. Commuters were seen wading through waterlogged roads in Dhaka on Monday morning.

Dhaka's major business and commercial hubs were severely affected, with many office-goers, traders and workers falling behind their daily schedules.

AKM Nazmul Haque, a meteorologist with the Bangladesh Meteorological Department (BMD), told Xinhua that they recorded 15 millimeters of rainfall in Dhaka in three hours until 9:00 a.m. on Monday.

The capital recorded 196 millimeters of rainfall over 24 hours from May 29 to May 30, the highest daily rainfall in May in 54 years, said the BMD, adding more rainfall is predicted in the next few days.

The relentless downpours have caused severe waterlogging and near-flood conditions in parts of the country's seaport city Chattogram, some 242 km southeast of Dhaka, while major rivers also swelled alarmingly due to rain and runoff from upstream.

Chattogram Divisional Weather Office reportedly recorded 136.6 millimeters of rainfall in the 24 hours till 9:00 a.m. Monday.

Against this backdrop, the seaport authorities have opened shelters in landslide-prone areas, urging residents near hills to move to safer places.

Another major city Sylhet in northeastern Bangladesh has also been inundated due to pouring rains and an onrush of hilly waters from across the Indian border.

Sylhet reportedly recorded 404.8 millimeters of rain, the season's highest rainfall in 24 hours till 6:00 a.m. on Sunday, causing waterlogging in low-lying areas.

Last August, Bangladesh experienced one of the most severe floods in recent history, which displaced millions and caused extensive damage.