Heavy rain leaves Cumilla waterlogged, HSC candidates struggle to reach exam halls

Heavy rainfall since early today has left large parts of Cumilla city waterlogged, forcing Higher Secondary Certificate (HSC) candidates to wade through knee- to waist-deep water to reach their examination centres.

According to Syed Arifur Rahman, officer-in-charge at Bangladesh Meteorological Department, Comilla, 138mm of rainfall was recorded in the district in the last 24 hours until 9:00am, including 107mm during the morning hours alone. He warned that further heavy rain could worsen waterlogging.

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Water accumulated at examination centres including Cumilla Government Women's College, Cumilla Victoria Government College and Cumilla Government College. While many candidates walked through the floodwater, some reached the centres by small boats.

Outside Cumilla Government Women's College in Chartha, several female candidates crossed flooded roads in plastic boats before sitting for their examinations in wet clothes.

"I brought my daughter to the examination centre through waist-deep water. There were no rickshaws or auto-rickshaws available, and I don't know how she will sit for a three-hour exam in wet clothes," said a guardian named Zainal Abedin.

Floodwater submerged roads across the city, disrupting traffic and affecting office-goers, students and small business owners. Low-lying residential areas were also inundated, causing hardship for residents and damaging household belongings.

Comilla City CorporationAdministrator Yousuf Mollah Tipu said sanitation workers had been deployed since dawn to clear waterlogged areas. He also visited several examination centres to monitor the situation.

The worst-affected areas included Zilla School Road, Police Lines, Racecourse, Chartha, Thakurpara, the BSCIC Industrial Estate, Gobindapur, Muradpur and Chhayabitan.

Passengers also alleged that some rickshaw and battery-run auto-rickshaw drivers charged double the usual fares amid the heavy rain.