Pre-monsoon showers with intense lightning flashes are likely to persist over the country in 24 hours commencing 9 am on Sunday, says the Met office. “Rain or thundershowers with intense lightning flashes and temporary gusty or squally wind is likely to occur at many places over Rangpur, Mymensingh, Dhaka, Barishal, Chattogram and Sylhet divisions. Also at a few places over Rajshahi & Khulna divisions,” said Bangladesh Meteorological Department forecast. Also read: Rains to drench eight divisions It said, moderately heavy (22-43) mm to heavy (44-88) mm falls are likely at places over the country. Day temperature may rise slightly and night temperature may remain nearly unchanged over the country. Also read: Rains lash Dhaka, trigger snarls The maximum rainfall in the country was recorded at 63 mm at Sitakunda upazila in Chattogram in the last 24 hours.

Dhaka's air quality slipped back to the 'unhealthy' zone on Friday, despite pre-monsoon showers in different parts of the country. With an air quality index (AQI) score of 164 at 9am on Friday, the metropolis ranked fourth in the list of world cities with the worst air quality. Also read: Dhaka's air quality turns 'good' India’s Delhi and Mumbai and the United Arab Emirates’ Dubai occupied the first three spots, with AQI scores of 194, 174 and 167, respectively. An AQI between 101 and 200 is considered 'unhealthy', particularly for sensitive groups. Similarly, an AQI between 201 and 300 is said to be 'poor', while a reading of 301 to 400 is considered 'hazardous', posing serious health risks to residents. AQI, an index for reporting daily air quality, is used by government agencies to inform people how clean or polluted the air of a certain city is, and what associated health effects might be a concern for them. 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. Also read: Dhaka's air quality remains 'moderate' A report by the Department of Environment (DoE) and the World Bank in March 2019 pointed out that the three main sources of air pollution in Dhaka "are brick kilns, fumes from vehicles and dust from construction sites". With the advent of winter, the city’s air quality starts deteriorating sharply due to the massive discharge of pollutant particles from construction work, rundown roads, brick kilns and other sources. Air pollution consistently ranks among the top risk factors for death and disability worldwide. Breathing polluted air has long been recognised as increasing a person’s chances of developing a heart disease, chronic respiratory diseases, lung infections and cancer, according to several studies. As per the World Health Organization (WHO), air pollution kills an estimated seven million people worldwide every year, largely as a result of increased mortality from stroke, heart disease, chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, lung cancer and acute respiratory infections.

It's an ordeal people living on the banks of the Teesta and Dharla rivers in Lalmonirhat district go through almost every monsoon -- severe erosion of riverbanks. But this year, pre-monsoon showers have caused widespread damage. Since last week, several buildings -- residential and educational -- in many areas of the district have been swallowed up by the mighty rivers, rendering hundreds homeless. Water levels in the Teesta and Dharla have gone up because of incessant showers over the past four-five days. Read Dhaleshwari erosion takes serious turn in Keraniganj While buildings in Mogolhat Folimari in Sadar upazila have been swallowed up by the Dharla, at least 20 houses in Kutirpar, Balapara, Badiartari and Chouraha of  Aditmari upazila's Mohishkhocha union have been flattened by the Teesta.

Residents of Dhaka woke up to waterlogged streets on Tuesday morning after pre-monsoon showers lashed the city.   Just three hours of rainfall -- from 6am to 9am -- was enough to shatter the tall claims of monsoon preparedness made by the city's municipal corporations, as several areas faced waterlogging problems.    Rampura, Badda and Mirpur were some of the worst-hit areas in the city. Post-showers, many people were seen wading through ankle-deep water in these areas to reach their destination.   According to the Bangladesh Meteorological Department, the city received 85 millimetres of rainfall on Tuesday.   Mohammad Aftab Uddin, a meteorologist, said, “The capital is likely to receive light to moderate showers on Wednesday too."