Photo: BSS

KHULNA, June 17, 2025 (BSS) - The incessant rainfall since Monday night has submerged most of the roads and alleyways of Khulna city, bringing life to a standstill.

The ground floors of many dwelling houses and shops have also gone underwater.

The rain, which began on Monday night, continued intermittently throughout today. By noon, knee-deep water had accumulated on most streets. As many roads have been submerged, vehicles were stuck in several areas, causing severe traffic congestion and hardship for city residents.

Mohammad Amirul Azad, a senior meteorologist at the Khulna meteorological office, told BSS that from 12 pm Monday to 12 pm Tuesday, 83 millimetres of rainfall was recorded in Khulna, making it the highest rainfall of the year so far in the locality.

He said the rainfall would continue for a couple of days, and the weather might not improve immediately.

Waterlogging has been reported in many parts, mostly in the low-lying areas of the city. The most affected areas are Royal Intersection, Baitipara, Khan Jahan Ali Road, Shamsur Rahman Road, Ahsan Ahmed Road, Bastuhara, Chanmari, Labonchora, Tutpara, Mistripara, KDA Avenue, and PTI Intersection.

The flooding has caused immense suffering for the public, especially for low-income groups.

Shamim Hasan, a resident of Ward No. 31 in the city, said that rainwater was on the verge of entering his house. Road repair and drainage development work is going on in the area, but due to slow progress by the contracting companies, even light rainfall results in significant public suffering, he alleged.

"Development work has narrowed various parts of the road for an extended period, creating traffic obstacles. This, combined with rain and waterlogging, has worsened traffic jams and increased public distress," he said.

Due to ongoing drainage system improvement works by the Khulna City Corporation (KCC), which have been progressing slowly over the past 3-4 years, rainwater is not draining out quickly.

Suman Hasan, a resident of Tutpara, said, "The road in front of my house has been dug up by the KWASA for the last two years but has not been repaired. The unfinished drainage work has prevented water from clearing, resulting in a large area remaining inundated for the last 24 hours."

Tariqul Islam, a resident of Haji Mohsin Road, said that the rain has caused water to accumulate on the roads, and it's hard to find any vehicles, even rickshaws. A few rickshaws that are available are demanding fares of Tk 60-70 instead of the usual Tk 30.

A rickshaw puller, Ismail, said that the rain has inundated the roads, and if water enters the rickshaw motor, it cannot be operated.
"So, we are compelled to charge a higher fare," he added.