Heavy rain triggers waterlogging in parts of Sylhet city

Torrential rainfall from early today has caused waterlogging in various parts of Sylhet city, disrupting daily life.

By noon, several areas, including parts of Kajalshah, Akhalia, Subidbazar, Chowhatta Civil Surgeon Office, Majortila, Islampur, Bahubal, Bongobir Road, and some other roads in the city, were inundated.

The Sylhet weather office recorded 101 mm of rainfall between 6:00am and 9:00 am today with an additional 68mm between 9:00am to 12:00pm.

While visiting different areas of the city, The Daily Star found that many houses, roads, business establishments, and educational institutions, including the Sylhet Osmani Medical College, were affected as rainwater entered the premises.

Mukid Ahmed, a resident and trader of Kajalshah area, said, "There's always waterlogging in Sylhet whenever it rains. Life becomes troublesome."

Ontor Deb, of Shahporan area, said, "Many residential areas in Shahporan and Majortila were waterlogged in the morning as the drainage system in these areas has been nonfunctional for a long time."

Muhammad Razaie Rafin Sarker, chief executive engineer of Sylhet City Corporation, said, "The situation is better than other years as we have cleared most canals and drains before the monsoon. Even though some areas are being waterlogged, there is no stagnation."

"We started monitoring using drones and action cameras to observe the canals and clear any waterlogging as soon as possible. If the Surma river does not overflow, there will be no major waterlogging in the city this year," he said.

Meanwhile, due to the influence of monsoon and torrential rainfall, all major rivers in Sylhet division have seen a sharp rise in the last 24 hours till this morning. However, none of them crossed danger levels, according to the Bangladesh Water Development Board.

Water levels in rivers, including the Surma, Kushiyara, Manu, Piyain, and Sarigowain, have risen significantly at every point but are flowing way below the danger level.

Shah Md Shajib Hossain, assistant meteorologist at Dependent Meteorological Office Sylhet, said that there are heavy cloud in the vicinity of Sylhet division and rainfall will continue.