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The rain that began in Dhaka on Thursday continued into the night. There was light rain on Friday as well. The New Market area of the capital has been waterlogged due to the rain, as the water has failed to drain away. The water has entered some shops and markets too.
The lanes and alleys at Dhanmondi’s Hawkers’ Market were inundated on Friday afternoon. The market’s workers were trying to remove the water by installing a pump at Gate No. 1.
“Whenever it rains, water accumulates on this street,” said Helal Uddin, a salesman at a shop in the market. “Water also gets into the market. Luckily, the pump is always working. Otherwise, our products would have gotten wet.”
As of 4 pm on Friday, there was still waterlogging on Mirpur Road and Nayem Road in front of Chandrima Super Market, the Nur Jahan Shopping Complex and the Badruddoza Shopping Centre.
The rain has made it difficult for customers to enter and shopkeepers say there has been less traffic than on other days, reports bdnews24.com.
One trader named Al Mujahid said, “Very few customers are coming due to the water. If there is more rain ahead of Eid, our business will suffer.”
Shafayet Hossain, who came from Mirpur, said: “I had to get some shopping done for Eid. That’s why I came. Who knew that this place had become a river.”
Cleaners from the Dhaka South City Corporation have been working to remove the water since the morning. They said there was still waterlogging on Mirpur Road and Nayem Road and that there had also been flooding on the surrounding streets in the morning.
One cleaner, on condition of anonymity, said: “What can we do if they haven’t implemented a permanent solution to the problem in this area since 2015? How long can we drain the water like this?”
The rainwater in the area used to flow through a drain inside the Pilkhana area, according to Mohammad Shafiullah Siddique Bhuiyan, supervising engineer of the DSCC. Since the BDR massacre, that route has been closed and water can no longer drain out through it.
“For now, we are trying to remove the water from the road. A project has been undertaken for a permanent solution to the waterlogging in the New Market area. It is being studied. The work will begin once it is approved,” he said.