“Once a pleasant rainy day, nowadays becomes a nightmare as I can’t manage any transport to go to [the] office. … I have to choose either work from home or wade through knee- or waist-deep, filthy water-filled, dangerous roads with potholes and open manholes. … I often choose the first option.” — A female commuter in Dhaka.
These words capture the lived reality of millions across South Asia’s rapidly growing cities.
The problem is not the heavy rain in itself; it is issues with environmental management common across the region: Mismanaged waste, unprecedented plastic production and disposal, weak policies, fragile urban infrastructure, and lack of cross-border collaboration.