Transport activities partially resume along Dhaka-Ctg highway

Transport activities through the Dhaka-Chattogram highway partially resumed yesterday after a three-day disruption due to flash floods.

The disruption had severely impacted the transport of export containers and imported goods as the highway connects the capital to Chattogram port, which handles around 90 percent of the nation's trade.

Passenger transport was similarly halted because rail lines were also submerged since Thursday due to the flash floods, which were brought on by heavy rainfall and a rush of water from upstream.

Importers, exporters and traders said the economy would not stabilise until the transportation of goods through rail and roadways returns to normal.

They urged the government to quickly repair any damaged sections after the water recedes.

They also demanded initiatives to clear the stockpile of imported goods and facilitate the loading of export goods at Chattogram port.

According to officials of Chattogram port, there are usually 30,000 to 32,000 TEUs (twenty-foot equivalent units) of containers in the port yards.

However, that figure stood at 37,996 TEUs on Saturday, which means more than 71 percent of the port's total capacity of 53,518 TEUs was occupied.

According to official data, about 2,150 TEUs of import and export containers were dispatched from the port till 5:00pm yesterday compared to 1,647 TEUs on Saturday. About 1,929 TEUs were discharged on Friday while it was 3,590 TEUs on Thursday and 4,130 TEUs on Wednesday.

Md Omar Faruk, secretary of the Chattogram Port Authority, told The Daily Star that the movement of import-export cargo has slowly improved compared to what it was over the past few days.

"And although we still have fewer containers than the capacity, we have already taken some initiatives to reduce the pressure," he said.

For example, port and customs authorities will give importers the opportunity to release their goods through Chattogram port and Pangaon port instead of the Kamalapur ICD, Faruk added.

Traders at the Khatunganj wholesale market, a century-old business hub that is home to about 4,000 businesses and more than 5,000 warehouses, said water had not breached their shops or warehouses this time around.

However, they informed that trade was dealt a heavy blow due to the three-day disruption.

And although it has stopped raining in some areas since Sunday, trading activities have not returned to normal, they said.

Anis Ahmed, owner of M/S Anis Traders, a wholesaler of onion, garlic and ginger at the Hamidullah Mia Market in Khatunganj, said sales had halved since Thursday.

"This is because most customers are not taking the risk of coming to the market to buy goods," he said.