Dhaka waterlogging: Rains for few hours, suffering for a week
Instead of attending to customers, Zahirul Islam, a trader at Dhaka New Market, yesterday found himself desperately trying to dry his shop's clothes, either by wringing them out or laying them in the sun.
"All the clothes on the shop floor were ruined by rainwater on Friday. When the rain stopped, I arrived at the shop to find clothes floating in dirty water," said Zahirul.
"It's a double loss — damage to the soaked clothes and the loss of potential sales," he added.
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He said the entire week will be spent drying out items and repairing the shop. "Every time it rains, our business takes a hit. Will the drainage system in the New Market area ever be improved? We need a solution to this recurring problem."
The four-hour heavy rainfall on Friday led to flooding in several areas across Dhaka, including New Market, Paltan, Hatirpool, Mirpur, and Jatrabari. Many main roads were submerged under waist-deep water, causing significant losses for ground-floor traders who saw their goods damaged.
And till Saturday afternoon, water remained uncleared in Bakshibazar, Dhaka University, Buet campus, Kazipara, Mohammadpur, and Jatrabari, and various areas under both city corporations.
Dewan Aminul Islam Shahin, President of New Market Business Association, told TBS that some shops opened Saturday afternoon, but sales were slow.
"Normally, 80% of the week's sales happen on Thursday, Friday, and Saturday at the market. This week, due to protests, sales were lower than expected. We were hoping for good sales on Friday and Saturday, but those hopes have been dashed; we're facing significant losses," he said.
Ali Akkas, secretary general of Islamia Book Market in Nilkhet, told TBS, "Fridays and Saturdays typically see more customers than other days at the market, which houses around 800 shops. On Fridays alone, books worth approximately Tk80-90 lakh are sold."
However, none of the market shops could open on Friday, he added. Yesterday, shopkeepers repaired and dried wet books and papers in the sun. Some shops had reopened since noon, with few customers starting to return.
Md Mizanur Rahman, chief executive officer of Dhaka South, said the water drainage outlet in the New Market area was temporarily closed by the Border Guard Bangladesh for security reasons.
"It will be opened soon and flooding in New Market and neighbouring areas will be resolved," he said. "Drainage from Green Road and Kalabagan is channelled through Hatirjheel, but its capacity has been reduced due to ongoing elevated expressway construction."
He also said various development projects along with widespread polythene and plastic waste are clogging sewer catch pits, hindering drainage efficiency and prolonging the impact of rainwater.
4 deaths in the city
Meanwhile, four deaths have been reported in the capital due to flooding from Friday's heavy rains. Two individuals died while moving machinery in their factory, one was electrocuted at home, and another tragically lost their life after colliding with a power pole on the road.
Police confirmed these incidents occurred in Mirpur, Bhashantek, and Sutrapur areas on Friday.
Waterlogging persist in parts of Dhaka
Despite a day passing since the heavy downpour that flooded parts of Dhaka, many areas in the capital remained waterlogged yesterday, causing significant inconvenience to residents.
Shakhawat Hussain, a resident of Jatrabari, expressed frustration, saying, "Water flooded our house's ground floor after yesterday's rain, and there's still water on the roads. This morning, I had to pay three times the usual rickshaw fare."
Osman, a student at Dhaka University's Shahidullah Hall, described persistent flooding, saying, "Water is still lingering on the roads and around the hall. If just a few hours of rain caused this, it could take at least three days for the water to recede if it rains all day."
Mukbul Hossain, public relations officer for Dhaka North City, told TBS on Saturday evening, "Main roads in the northern parts of the city are clear of waterlogging. However, challenges persist in areas like Dakshinkhan, Uttarkhan, and some smaller roads in Mirpur and Mohammadpur."
Meanwhile, the Met Office yesterday forecasted light to moderate and occasionally heavy rainfall, accompanied by thundershowers and gusty winds, is expected across all eight divisions of the country in the next 24 hours starting from 6pm on Saturday. It further said that rainfall could intensify after the next four days.
