Heavy rain floods markets, leaves Dhaka traders counting losses

Torrential rain that lashed Dhaka since early Sunday inundated major commercial areas, including New Market, Fakirapool and Motijheel, forcing traders to rescue merchandise as knee-deep water flooded shops and brought business activities to a near standstill.

Instead of serving customers, shop owners and employees spent the morning trying to protect goods from rising floodwaters as market corridors remained submerged.

Many businesses kept their shutters closed after water entered shops, while commercial activities across the affected markets were severely disrupted.

The situation proved especially difficult for footpath vendors and businesses operating from low-lying temporary structures, which were quickly submerged as the city’s drainage system failed to cope with the heavy rainfall.

Readymade garments, footwear, cosmetics and lightweight electronic items stored on lower shelves or on shop floors were among the worst affected.

Visits to the markets from morning until noon showed traders wading through murky water to move undamaged goods to higher shelves in an effort to minimise losses.

“Water entered my shop before I even had a chance to open the shutter this morning. Everything stored on the lower racks has been soaked. If the rain continues and we don’t get enough sunshine to dry the goods, we will suffer huge financial losses,” said Mahbubur Rahman, a clothing trader at New Market.
Litton, a footpath vendor, said he had been struggling since morning to save whatever merchandise he could.

“We are helpless. I have been standing in the rain trying to save whatever I can, but the water is not receding. The drains are clogged, and we have no idea when the markets will return to normal,” he said.
The waterlogging also spread to surrounding roads, disrupting traffic in the Mirpur Road, New Market intersection and Motijheel commercial area.

Several cars and CNG-run autorickshaws broke down after water entered their engines, while pedestrians and office-goers were forced to wade through flooded streets to reach their destinations.