Why does Dhaka get flooded after every rainfall?

Even after a regular rainfall, Dhaka streets go under knee- to waist-deep water. This is very unfortunate in a country where monsoon rain should have been a blessing.

During rain, Dhaka dwellers have to always worry about how they will commute, carry out daily activities on flooded roads, unbearable traffic jams and sometimes water pouring into homes and shops.


But should this surprise anyone, when the rivers, canals, reservoirs are illegally occupied, filled with garbage, the authority of drainage management is scattered throughout various organizations, and unplanned urbanization is rampant? Why do the residents of Dhaka, after struggling with roads being dug up for drainage development projects every year -- conducted with taxpayers' money -- still have to suffer after a rainfall? 

In Straight from Star Newsroom, Debjani Shyama discusses the waterlogging problem of Dhaka with The Daily Star reporter Rashidul Hasan.