Commuters in Dhaka suffered throughout the day yesterday, as the waterlogged streets, coupled with traffic diversions prompted by an Awami League rally, resulted in long tailbacks on the busiest roads in the capital.
The traffic congestions started early in the morning after incessant rain caused key roads in the city to go under water. The situation worsened when many vehicles broke down in the middle of the road and blocked traffic movement.
“On other days, we get some space to reach our destination, but today it was difficult as no space was found on the road because of the water and the huge traffic jam,” said Ali Hasan, a student of Dhaka University who uses a motorbike to commute.
Sources said roads had become waterlogged in Shantinagar, Motijheel, Fakirapool, Nilkhet, Bailey Road and Chankharpool, soon after the rain started.
Later in the afternoon, the traffic congestion crisis intensified when the police started diverting traffic at Matsya Bhaban and Ruposhi Bangla intersections because of a rally by Awami League at the city’s Engineers Institute to mark its founding anniversary.
As a result, the roads at Shahbagh, Katabon, Science Laboratory, Kalabagan, Banglamotor and Matsya Bhaban witnessed long tailbacks.
Afzal Hossain, an employee of a private company, got in a bus in front of the National Press Club at 3:30pm to go to his home at Sukrabad. However, the bus was diverted near the Matsya Bhaban as the Shahbagh area was closed off because of the Awami League programme.
Using a detour, the bus managed to reach Science Laboratory intersection at 5:30pm; but seeing the Mirpur Road jammed up ahead of him, Afzal decided to walk home instead.
He was finally able to reach his destination after 6pm, needing two and a half hours to travel only around 5km.
Exhausted from the experience, Afzal told the Dhaka Tribune that it was one of the worst traffic-related troubles of his entire life.
Seeking anonymity, a traffic control room operator of the Dhaka Metropolitan Police said the capital witnessed traffic jams for almost four hours because of the rainfall and the programme by the Awami League.
It was not possible for the traffic department to do anything in situations where vehicles were breaking down on waterlogged roads while processions were also being brought out by political activists, the official added.
When asked about the issue, Mohammad Mosleh Uddin, joint commissioner (traffic) of the DMP, admitted that the traffic problem was caused by incessant rainfall and the Awami League rally. However, he claimed that traffic movements regained normalcy after sunset.
