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Published : 26 May 2026, 09:34 AM
Just as Dhaka's Eid-ul-Azha livestock markets were hitting their stride, the dark clouds of Jaistha have put fear in traders' hearts.
Two days of gusty winds and rain have torn away tarpaulin covers and left cattle pens underwater, with no sign of letting up.
Even light rain sends water pooling across the temporary market at Dhaka’s Jatrabari, taking hours to drain.
The pens turn into a sludge of mud, water and dung, and the sacrificial animals have no choice but to stand there.
Traders say exhausted cattle are sitting down in the waterlogged pens, risking illness or even death.
If the weather does not improve, many say they will be forced to sell below their expected prices just to get rid of their stock.
This year's Jatrabari temporary market stretches about one kilometre from Kajla to the Mridha Bari intersection, spilling onto the connecting roads.
Ten other markets are also running across the Dhaka South City Corporation.
The market was previously held around the Dania College grounds but was shifted to the Demra highway this year to ease congestion.
Cattle trader Samiul Islam came to Jatrabari from Kushtia with nine cattle. Thirteen other traders he knows also brought animals from Kushtia by truck.
Speaking on Monday, he said seven of his cattle were reared with care at farms and homes.
"Four of them were raised by farmers as if they were their own children. They were never put through any hardship. Now they are suffering here in the market," he added.
Rain is soaking the cattle's feed and leaving them in a damp, miserable environment around the clock.
Traders and leaseholders are spreading straw and sand over the waterlogged ground to give the animals some relief, but dung mixes in and makes the surface even more slippery and muddy, making it difficult for both buyers and sellers to move around.
Cattle trader Raju Ahmed came to the Jatrabari market from Rajshahi and has seen rain drive prices down at Eid markets before.
"The market has not picked up yet. If it rains on top of this, I will have to sell off my cattle at whatever price I can get," he told bdnews24.com.
Most buyers at Dhaka's temporary markets come in the two days before Eid, as they lack the space, staff and resources to keep animals for longer.
That makes the final stretch the most critical for traders.
Waterlogging Fears After Light Rain
Most of the rainwater from southern Dhaka drains through Jatrabari into different canals and channels before reaching the Shitalakkhya and Buriganga rivers.
These channels once carried rainwater away quickly, but encroachment and pollution have reduced the canals at Kutubkhali, Kajla, Mridha Bari and Shonir Akhra to little more than drains.
Water now backs up after even light rain.
A brief shower on Monday afternoon was enough to send drain water overflowing into the channels, causing waterlogging despite the increased flow.
Traders said water from Sunday evening's rain did not fully drain until midnight.
Raju Ahmed, who brought six cows to the Jatrabari market six days ago, says he managed to sell one animal on Monday morning.
He mentioned that buyers were initially just browsing, but he finally closed his first deal after a buyer agreed to his terms, selling a medium-sized red cow for Tk 151,000.
After paying the market fees and collecting his cash, Raju expressed worry that continuous rain could tank market prices, forcing desperate traders to dump their stock because cows cannot survive long in standing water without getting sick or dying from the cold.
Aslam Miah, a trader from Faridpur, brought six cows, four of which he raised himself.
He spent three months rearing the four animals after purchasing them for Tk 140,000 each, and while the bidding has reached Tk 160,000, he will face a loss unless the price rises to at least Tk 165,000.
He hopes it will hit Tk 180,000 to 190,000 to make a decent profit but fears the rainy weather will ruin his chances.
Matabbor Hossain came from Kalkini in Madaripur with seven cattle and sold two medium-sized ones.
His higher-priced animals, however, had not moved by Monday morning.
"I am asking for Tk 220,000 to Tk 230,000,” he said. “I would sell at Tk 210,000 to Tk 215,000, but prices have not gone up that far yet. Rain weakens cattle.”
He said it broke his heart to watch cattle kneel in the mud when they were resting, only to be forced back on their feet every time a buyer came to look. "The cattle suffer even more that way. It is painful to watch, but what can you do? They have to be made to stand. Back in the village these animals lived so comfortably.
"Even the restless ones are turning listless from the rain, mud and waterlogging. Away from home and in a completely different environment, the cattle just stand with tears running from their eyes.
“One of them has stopped eating properly. It only eats a little if you go close to it and give it some affection. It just sits or stares blankly. It used to run around and call out when it was home. Now it does nothing."
Cattle at the Jatrabari market are priced from as low as Tk 70,000 to as high as Tk 500,000, with most animals in the Tk 130,000 to Tk 220,000 range this year.
Moshiur Rahman, who manages the fees collection at Counter 1, confirmed that the new location has drawn a larger volume of cattle compared with last year.
He noted that about 12 animals were sold during Sunday's shift and expected sales to pick up significantly from Monday.
Abul Hasan, a resident who bought a cow for Tk 151,000 after scouting the market for two days, said he managed to bring the price down from an initial asking rate of Tk 175,000.
He closed the deal at Tk 150,000 and paid an extra Tk 1,000 to settle final demands, bringing his total cost to Tk 151,000.
