An overnight heavy shower has inundated vast areas of the capital and its low-lying suburbs putting life in Dhaka in complete disarray.


According to the Met Office, Dhaka experienced this season’s highest rainfall of 333 millimeters within a time span of just 10-hour till seven this morning.


It is still drizzling with the Dhaka sky looking overcast following the heavy downpour triggered by a monsoon low.


School and office-goers got hard time negotiating knee to waist-deep water on the alleys and on also on many main city thoroughfares. Some of the city schools declared suspended their scheduled classes and examinations this morning.


Normal life and business activities came to a total halt in many parts of the capital as its inadequate drainage system failed to cope with the heavy rush of rain waters and became clogged and water-logged at many places.


The downpour left things quite chaotic in the morning rush hours as commuters frantically looked for transports to get to offices, schools and business establishments.


As the public transport system went out of gear, rickshaws, taxicabs and CNG-run three-wheelers braved the torrential rains and charged their passengers outrageously very high fares.


Thousands of commuters were stuck in traffic jams in rush morning hours on the waterlogged streets.


The worst affected areas are Jatrabari, Motijheel, Mirpur, Kalyanpur, Shyamoli, Basabo, Goran, Azimpur, Dhanmondi, Minto Road, Press Club, Fakirapool, Moghbazar, Mowchak, Shantinagar, Kakrail, Uttara and the old parts of the city.


The low developed over North Bay and adjoining Bangladesh coast Monday. The southwest monsoon was also strong over the North Bay and active over Bangladesh.


Maritime ports of Chittagong, Cox’s Bazar and Mongla were earlier advised to hoist local cautionary signal number three.


Met officials foresee more rains over the next couple of days by the influence of the monsoon low.