bangladesh
Rains may continue in Dhaka, other parts of country
Rains may continue to drench the country including Dhaka in 24 hours commencing 9am on Monday (July 03, 2023) as monsoon is active in Bangladesh, said the Met office.
“Light to moderate rain/thunder showers accompanied by temporary gusty wind is likely at most places over Rangpur, Rajshahi, Mymensingh and Sylhet divisions; at many places over Dhaka, Khulna & Barishal divisions and at a few places over Chattogram division with moderately heavy to very heavy falls at places over the country,” said a Met office bulletin.
N’ganj’s DND area gets waterlogged after heavy rains; no end to sufferings of residents
The axis of monsoon trough runs through Punjab, Haryana, Uttar Pradesh, Madhya Pradesh, Bihar, West Bengal to Assam across northern part of Bangladesh.
Heavy rains may trigger short-term flood in Sylhet, Sunamganj
Monsoon is active over northern part and fairly active elsewhere over Bangladesh and moderate over North Bay.
Incessant rain in Sylhet brings threat of flooding
Day and night temperature may remain nearly unchanged over the country, said the bulletin.
Country’s highest 305 mm rainfall was recorded in Sylhet in 24 hours till 6am on Monday.
Low-lying areas in Sunamganj inundated; 322 mm rainfall recorded in 24 hrs
8-year old raped, killed in Rajshahi
The body of an 8-year-old girl was recovered from a pond in Chotobon Gram area on Monday with signs of rape after she was kidnapped from her house in Rajshahi city.
Police recovered her body and arrested a suspect named Palash, son of Md Shahin of Bonogram area of the city.
Girl allegedly raped by cousin in Chuadanga
The deceased, Anika, daughter of Azim Uddin, was kidnapped from her house on Saturday, said Noor Alam, officer-in-charge of Rajshahi Metropolitan Police Station.
He said they detained and interrogated Palash after the minor’s father filed a general diary (GD).
8-year-old raped in Dhaka’s Adabor
Police said the suspect confessed to the crime of killing the girl for ransom money.
The body was sent to the morgue of Rajshahi Medical College and Hospital for an autopsy.
Young girl ‘gang raped’ in Cumilla: 5 held
The victim’s family is preparing to file a case in this regard, said the OC.
Fulfil needs of people who elected you: PM to newly elected mayors, councillors
Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina today asked public representatives to serve the people and meet their needs when working in their respective areas.
“You will have to fulfil the needs and wants of the people who elected you with their votes," she said.
Newly elected Barishal, Khulna and Gazipur city mayors take oath
The premier said this at the oath-taking ceremony for the newly elected mayors and councillors of Barishal, Khulna and Gazipur city corporations at Shapla Hall of her office.
Addressing the newly elected public representatives, she said, “You, being elected with votes of the people, have the scope to serve people. I want you to work in your own areas as public servants.”
The prime minister administered the oaths of newly elected mayors of three city corporations — Abul Khair Abdullah of Barishal, Talukder Abdul Khaleque of Khulna and Jayeda Khatun of Gazipur.
Later, 157 newly elected councillors of general wards and female councillors of the reserved seats of three city corporations were also sworn in at the same venue.
AL not embarrassed by results of Gazipur city election: Agri Minister Razzaque
Local Government, Rural Development and Cooperatives Minister Md Tazul Islam administered the oaths of the councillors.
Local Government Division Secretary Muhammad Ibrahim conducted the oath-taking ceremony.
State Minister for LGRD and Cooperatives Swapan Bhattacharjee was also present on the dais.
On June 12, Awami League mayoral candidate Abul Khair Abdullah (Khokon Serniabat) won the Barishal City Corporation election with 87,807 votes.
AL-backed mayoral candidate Abul Khair Abdullah wins Barishal City Corporation election
Awami League mayoral candidate Talukder Abdul Khaleque won the Khulna City Corporation (KCC) election with 1,54,825 votes on June 12.
On May 25, independent candidate Jayeda Khatun won the Gazipur City Corporation (GCC) polls with 238,934 votes.
N’ganj’s DND area gets waterlogged after heavy rains; no end to sufferings of residents
The recent spells of torrential rain have triggered waterlogging in the Dhaka-Narayanganj-Demra (DND) embankment area as always, inflicting sufferings on local people.
The anger and frustration of the residents of the area keep growing as the authorities failed to provide relief from the perennial waterlogging crisis.
The plight of the residents is dire, with houses and roads submerged, leading to the mixing of sewage water with floodwater and the spread of various waterborne diseases.
Rain-induced waterlogging in capital city an outcome of unplanned mega projects: Fakhrul
The existing pump house in Shimrail, which should provide relief, is itself facing issues. Out of the four pumps, three are operational, while the fourth has been broken for an extended period with no repair efforts in sight, said locals.
The presence of 30-40 unauthorized establishments and underground pipelines belonging to various government agencies has hindered infrastructure development work, creating legal complications, said a DND project officer seeking anonymity.
Low-lying areas in Sunamganj inundated; 322 mm rainfall recorded in 24 hrs
According to sources, financial constraints have also significantly slowed down the progress of the ongoing mega project.
Funds allocated for the project for fiscal year 2020-21 was insufficient, hampering the ongoing work and leaving the project at a standstill.
Despite repeated promises, the suffering of the people remains unabated, leaving them desperate for answers.
Locals alleged the local member of parliament has been unable to address their concerns, and residents pinned their hopes on the army's involvement in the development work. Initially, they had hoped that the army's involvement in the development work would expedite the process and alleviate their suffering. However, those hopes have been dashed as the situation continues to worsen.
Cyclone impact: Dhaka commuters suffer amid traffic jam, waterlogging
The local member of parliament, Shamim Osman, who has been elected three times, has been unable to resolve the distressing situation in the DND area, they alleged.
Contacted, Shamim Osman said,” I will hold discussions with project officials to find a speedy resolution and alleviate the suffering of people.”
In a visit to the DND dam area on Sunday, representatives of the Ministry of Water Resources assured the local residents of immediate steps to tackle the crisis after hearing their concerns.
Dhaka's air quality continues to be 'moderate'
Dhaka's air quality continued to be in the ‘moderate’ zone this morning (July 03, 2023), thanks to the torrential rain for the past couple of days and thin traffic, since the capital isn't yet back to its usual hustle and bustle following the Eid holidays.
With an air quality index (AQI) score of 74 at 9:15 am, Dhaka ranked 19th in the list of cities worldwide with the worst air quality.
South Africa’s Johannesburg, Indonesia’s Jakarta, and Chile’s Santiago occupied the first three spots on the list, with AQI scores of 161, 156 and 152, respectively.
An AQI between 50 and 100 is considered ‘moderate’ with an acceptable air quality. However, there may be a moderate health concern for a very small number of people who are unusually sensitive to air pollution.
Read more: Plastic Pollution: Harmful effects on human health and environment
Besides, an AQI between 150 and 200 is considered 'unhealthy', AQI between 201 and 300 is said to be 'very unhealthy', while a reading of 301+ is considered 'hazardous', posing serious health risks to residents.
In Bangladesh, the AQI is based on five criteria pollutants — Particulate Matter (PM10 and PM2.5), NO2, CO, SO2 and Ozone.
Dhaka has long been grappling with air pollution issues. Its air quality usually turns unhealthy in winter and improves during the monsoon.
Air pollution consistently ranks among the top risk factors for death and disability worldwide.
Read more: HC summons N’ganj DC, DoE officials for not complying with directives to control air pollution
As per the World Health Organization (WHO), air pollution kills an estimated seven million people worldwide every year.
Two children drown in Jashore pond
The bodies of two teenagers were recovered from a pond at Navaran Dakshinpara field in Jhikargachha upazila of Jashore district on Sunday afternoon.
The deceased was identified as Parash Hossain, 13, son of Mahasin Hossain of Navaran Belermath village in Jhikargachha upazila. He was a class 5 student of Yaqub Bhuiyan Shishu Academy and Saikat Hossain, 13, son of Sagar Hossain of the same area. He was studying in a madrasa in Jessore. The two of them are cousins.
Officer-in-Charge (OC) of Jhikargachha Police Station Sumon Bhakta said the body was handed over without an autopsy on the request of the family. A case of unnatural death has been registered in this regard.
Two missing bodies recovered from Mirsarai waterfall
The bodies of two tourist teenagers, who went missing while visiting a waterfall in the hills of Mirsarai in Chattogram, have been recovered.
The Fire Service team rescued them from the well of Rupsi Jharna in Bara Kamaldah hill area of the upazila around 9:30 pm on Sunday.
The deceased were identified as Md Afsar, 15, son of Mohammad Jamil of Firoz Shah Colony under Akbar Shah police station and Md Arif, 18, son of Mohammad Jasim of the same area.
Kabir Hossain, officer-in-charge of Mirsarai Police Station, confirmed the matter. He said two tourists had been missing since Saturday after falling into the waterfall. Their bodies were found tonight.
Imam Patwari, station officer of Mirsarai Fire Service, said that nine friends came to the waterfall and lost two of their friends. They were later rescued in a raid.
Incessant rain in Sylhet brings threat of flooding
It has been raining continuously in Sylhet for the last few days, including 130 mm rainfall in the three hours from 12 noon to 3 pm on Sunday.
The rain is expected to continue for at least five more days, the Met office said.
The water level of the rivers is increasing due to rain. There is a risk of flooding. However, so far the water of the river has not crossed the danger level anywhere in Sylhet.
Like the previous two days, there has been heavy rain in Sylhet since Sunday morning. As the day progressed, the rain increased.
Heavy rains led to waterlogging in different parts of Sylhet. Water even entered Sylhet MAG Osmani Medical College Hospital, but health services were not disrupted, authorities said. However, patients are suffering while commuting.
On Sunday afternoon, knee-deep water accumulated in every room on the ground floor of the college building. However, after the rain stopped in the afternoon, the water receded.
Shah Mohammad Sajib Hossain, assistant meteorologist at the Meteorological Department's Sylhet office, said sylhet received 111 mm rainfall from 6 am on Saturday to 6 am on Sunday. On Sunday, 122 mm of rain fell from 6 am to 12 noon and 130 mm from 12 noon to 3 pm. He said there is a possibility of rain in Sylhet for the next five days.
Nur Azizur Rahman, chief engineer of Sylhet City Corporation, said, "Sylhet received more than 100 mm of rain in just three hours today. It takes a while for this amount of rainwater to recede. So there has been waterlogging in some areas for a short time. However, after the rain stopped, the water receded."
OIC seeks collective measures to prevent desecration of Holy Quran, insult against Prophet
Secretary-General of the Organization of Islamic Cooperation (OIC) Hissein Brahim Taha on Sunday called on Member States to take unified and collective measures to prevent the recurrence of incidents of desecration of copies of the Holy Qur’an and insults against honored Prophet Muhammad.
He made the call came at the extraordinary, open-ended meeting of the Executive Committee of the Organization of Islamic Cooperation, held at the headquarters of the General Secretariat in Jeddah, to discuss measures on the repercussions of the incident of burning a copy of the Holy Qur’an that took place in front of the Central Mosque in the Swedish capital, Stockholm, on the first day of Eid al-Adha.
The Executive Committee meeting was held at the invitation of the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, current Chair of the Islamic Summit and the Executive Committee of the Organization of Islamic Cooperation, according to the OIC headquarters.
"We must send constant reminders to the international community regarding the urgent application of international law, which clearly prohibits any advocacy of religious hatred," he said.
The Secretary-General said “unfortunately, on the first day of that auspicious occasion, when all Muslims around the world were celebrating the Eid, a despicable act of desecration of a copy of Holy Qur’an was committed outside the central mosque in Stockholm, the capital of Sweden”.
He pointed out that the meeting was held to discuss the appropriate response.
Taha also stressed the need to send a clear message that acts of desecration of copies of the Holy Qur’an and insults against our honoured Prophet Muhammad were not mere ordinary Islamophobia incidents.
UN Deputy Secretary General meets PM
United Nations Deputy Secretary General Amina J. Mohammed on Sunday paid a courtesy call on Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina at the latter's official residence Ganabhaban.
In the meeting, various issues including SDG, climate change, Rohingya, impacts of the Covid-19 and Russia-Ukraine war on the global economy came up for discussion.
PM's Press Secretary Ihsanul Karim briefed newsmen after the meeting.
The Prime Minister said her government has been taking various timely measures to ensure food security amid the international food crisis.
She said her government has been working to bring all the fallow land under cultivation to ward off the crisis.
The premier stressed the need for cultivation of food and vegetables even on rooftop.
She said her government has been given topmost priority on research in the agriculture sector.
The premier said they have already developed saline- and flood-tolerant rice varieties and are working to improve those further.
About the Rohingya issue, she said they have given Rohingyas shelter in Bangladesh on humanitarian grounds.
"But, they have become a big burden for us. It has created social problems," she continued.
Amina J. Mohammed said 52 countries are now on the verge of crisis due to the brunts of COVID-19 pandemic and Russia-Ukraine war.
"We have to face the crisis together. It is a big challenge for the developing nations," she said.
She praised the contribution of Bangladeshi peacekeepers to maintain world peace.
PM’s ambassador-at-large Mohammad Ziauddin, PM’s Principal Secretary Md Tofazzel Hossain Miah and Permanent Representative of Bangladesh to the United Nations Muhammad Abdul Muhith were present at the time.