Play store
Torrential rain since early Monday inundated major commercial hubs in the capital, including New Market, Fakirapool and Motijheel, leaving traders scrambling to save their goods as knee-deep water flooded shops and brought business to a near halt.
Instead of attending to customers, shop owners and employees spent hours trying to salvage merchandise from rising water.
Market corridors were submerged, forcing many businesses to keep shutters down and suspend operations.
The situation was especially severe for footpath vendors and businesses operating in low-lying, temporary structures, which were quickly submerged as the city’s drainage system struggled to cope with the heavy downpour.
Readymade garments, footwear, cosmetics and lightweight electronic goods stored on lower shelves or directly on shop floors were soaked, raising fears of significant financial losses.
On-the-ground visits from morning to noon showed traders wading through murky water, desperately moving undamaged goods to higher shelves or safer locations.
“Water entered my shop before I could even open it this morning. Everything on the lower racks is soaked. If the rain continues and there is no sunlight to dry the goods, we will face huge losses,” said Mahbubur Rahman, a trader at New Market.
Footpath vendor Litton expressed frustration, saying, “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 don’t know when normal business will resume.”
Waterlogging also spilled onto nearby roads, disrupting traffic in the Mirpur Road, New Market intersection and Motijheel commercial area.
Several vehicles, including cars and CNG-run autorickshaws, broke down after water entered their engines, while pedestrians and office-goers were seen wading through flooded streets to reach their destinations.
