Dhaka's drainage system collapses

[reverse_swing]

Parts of the drainage system of the Bangladeshi capital Dhaka have collapsed after heavy rainfall left large areas of the city waterlogged.
With many streets knee deep in water, business has been disrupted and the transport system ground to a halt.


Submerged manholes and potholes have become a danger

Weather experts say that more rainfall is expected over the next 24 hours because of low pressure.

At least seven people have been killed in incidents connected with the floods, including some who were electrocuted.

In July, Bangladesh experienced its worst floods in six years which left 600 people dead.

Water waist deep

The BBC's Waliur Rahman in Dhaka says that some of the drainage system was damaged after 116mm of rain fell in six hours, according to meteorological office readings.



Most traffic has been kept off the roads

Our correspondent says that the latest deluge is the heaviest in the current monsoon season.

An official of the Dhaka Water and Sewerage Authority said that the city's drainage system had been unable to pump out such a huge amount of water in so short a period of time.

The worst affected part of the city is the business district of Motijheel, where all roads are waist deep in water.

Also flooded are the roads outside the prime minister's office.

The office of the Dhaka mayor says a quarter of the city's roads are waterlogged, but residents say the situation is far worse than officially acknowledged.

Three people were killed in the city when they came into contact with live electricity wires submerged in the water and four died in central Shariatpur district when their boat capsized in a river because of a storm.

Inaccessible

"My housing complex went under water during the recent floods. But this time the level of water is much higher," said M Asaduzzaman, a resident of the Bangladesh Bank colony in Motijheel.

Weather experts say that heavy rain will continue as low pressure gathers in the Bay of Bengal and moves slowly towards the mainland.

Floods have also disrupted transport, with most of Dhaka inaccessible by car.

Submerged manholes and potholes in roads have become dangerous hidden traps for rickshaws.

In many areas, power supplies have been cut off to prevent accidents.

Many businesses were closed as office attendance levels were reported to be very thin.

"Many areas have again been inundated that have just come out of floods," Arjumand Habib, a Dhaka meteorological official, told the Reuters news agency.

The authorities at Dhaka's Zia International Airport say that water levels have also been rising near the runway but pumps are ready to drain surplus water.

More than 100,000 people were affected by water-borne diseases in the aftermath of July's floods.

The government estimated they caused around $7bn of damage.

Source: BBC

[bdmoderator]

Ya, it always collapses in heavy rain fall. It's not new.
(Not not regular as Our National Cricket Team's batting collapses. :P)