3 reasons behind unbearable traffic jam in Dhaka during rains

Experts have blamed the city’s weak drainage system for water logging. Speaking to Prothom Alo, MD Hadiuzzaman, former director of the Accident Research Institute (ARI) of Bangladesh University of Engineering and Technology, said, “Dhaka’s drainage system is not planned at all. Rain water should be drained through drains built on both sides of the road. The middle part of roads is usually higher than the dry part for easy drainage. This elevated part of the road is called ‘camber’.

“Since our drainage system is weak, whenever it rains, water starts accumulating on both sides of the road. At this time, vehicles move in the middle of the roads, reducing the vehicle carrying capacity of the roads to half. This is one of the main reasons behind the extreme traffic jams in the city during the rains,” he said.

*This report appeared on the print and online editions of Prothom Alo and has been rewritten in English by Ashish Basu

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