HSC and equivalent examination candidates in Cumilla had to use boats to reach their examination centres on Monday after three hours of heavy rain submerged roads across the city.

The scene was witnessed in front of Cumilla Government Women’s College examination centre, where the city authorities arranged boats to help candidates reach the venue.

According to the Bangladesh Meteorological Department, 107 millimetres of rainfall was recorded in Cumilla within three hours on Monday morning. The downpour inundated major roads, lanes and residential areas, with water reaching knee to waist level in some places, disrupting normal life. Residents said water entered many homes, while passengers complained that rickshaw and battery-run auto-rickshaw fares had doubled.

Monday’s HSC and equivalent examinations included Physics for the Science group, Accounting First Paper for the Business Studies group and Logic First Paper for the Humanities group. Continuous rainfall from early morning until around 10:00am caused severe waterlogging across the city.

Cumilla City Corporation Administrator Yusuf Molla Tipu visited the Cumilla Government Women’s College centre and arranged boats to transport candidates to the examination venue.

Some parents said their children had no option but to travel by boat to sit for the examinations. They expressed concern that important documents, including admit cards, could have been damaged if they had fallen into the floodwater. They also suggested that the examinations should have been postponed in view of the situation.

Cumilla Education Board Chairman Prof Ahsan Parvez said no water entered the examination rooms despite waterlogging outside the centre. He said centre authorities had been instructed to be considerate towards candidates who arrived late and expressed hope that no examinee would face difficulties in sitting for the examinations.

Yusuf Molla Tipu said he personally visited the area after observing the situation and arranged transport for the candidates. He added that the city corporation is working to ease the waterlogging across the city.

FP/A