DHAKA, July 3: Heavy downpour that began on Saturday midnight continued on Sunday, submerging most parts of the Dhaka and paralysing the city life. The Met Office recorded 151-millimetre rainfall till 3:00pm in Dhaka alone.

There was moderate to heavy shower across the country. The Met Office has attributed the downpour due to depression over the Bay of Bengal.

An old man, Mozaffar, died as the wall of the Mirpur Ceramics Factory caved in on a rickshaw garage in the morning. At least 12 rickshaws were damaged in the incident. Many city areas came under water, forcing the people to use boats. The situation in low-lying areas was pathetic, multiplying sufferings of the people. Some of the people living in these areas have taken shelter on roof tops of their houses.

The downpour also played havoc with the drainage system. Ankle-to-waist-deep water collected at Motijheel and Dilkusha commercial districts, halting movement of people in the area. The Dhaka Stock Exchange had to suspend the day’s business because of the situation. The secretariat, the administrative headquarters of the government, also went under knee-deep water. Ministers, senior bureaucrats and most government employees attended the office late and some did not turn up. The number of visitors was unusually thin.

Most public transport went off the road for fear of being stranded. Many vehicles were seen stranded in knee-to-waist deep water at many places. Traffic snarled up at different city places. Rickshaws emerged as the only means of Transport in such areas. The officegoers and schoolchildren had to face problems in the morning. Many schools remained closed.