The deluge that has gripped Dhaka since Tuesday night has once again laid bare the chronic failure of urban planning, infrastructure maintenance, and disaster preparedness in the capital. With over 200mm of rain in just 24 hours much of it in the early hours residents awoke to find their city submerged. Roads, homes, markets, and even hospitals were under water. Yet, none of this is new.
Every year, the same scenario plays out: a heavy spell of rain brings the city to a standstill. Knee-deep water, flooded alleys, stranded vehicles, inflated rickshaw fares, and desperate residents trying to reach offices or protect their livelihoods it's a pattern that now defines monsoon in Dhaka. Temporary responses, like opening manhole covers or deploying city workers in gumboots, are at best superficial. They are reactionary steps to a problem that is deeply rooted in systemic neglect.
The city's drainage system is neither equipped nor maintained to handle such rainfall, a reality that has persisted for decades despite countless promises and budget allocations. Even newly developed areas and supposedly modern commercial hubs like Hatirjheel and Tejgaon suffer from severe water-logging. Areas like New Market, Mirpur, Mouchak, and Kalshi have become infamous for going underwater with the first signs of sustained rain.
Authorities frequently cite heavy rainfall as the cause, but monsoon is not a surprise event. It is a known, annual occurrence. Blaming nature for water-logging is a convenient deflection from institutional failures. Drainage lines remain clogged, new developments ignore water flow patterns, and rampant urbanization continues unchecked, often without proper regulatory oversight.
What is most alarming is the level of public despair. Residents now expect and prepare for water damage. Businesses keep goods elevated, knowing they will face flooding. Commuters budget extra time and money, anticipating chaos. This normalization of suffering is dangerous-it indicates a loss of faith in governance.
The Met Office has warned that rainfall will continue until October 4, with more heavy showers expected across multiple divisions. In this window, more damage may follow. But beyond the immediate disaster, Dhaka needs to confront a difficult truth: water-logging is not just about weather; it is about mismanagement.
Unless urgent investments are made in overhauling the drainage network, enforcing stricter building codes, and implementing a coordinated urban resilience plan, Dhaka will continue to drown not only in rainwater, but in its own neglect. It's time the city stopped treating monsoon as a surprise, and started treating it as the planning priority it has long deserved.
