Rain damages cargo, importers suffer delays at Dhaka airport even 2 weeks after fire
A video obtained by The Business Standard shows a large number of import consignments left under the open sky getting drenched during Saturday’s rain.
Even after two weeks of a massive fire at Dhaka airport, import cargo operations remain disorganised, with imported goods getting soaked in rain due to a lack of proper sheds and importers expressing frustration over delayed deliveries of their consignments.
A video obtained by The Business Standard shows a large number of import consignments left under the open sky getting drenched during Saturday's (1 November) rain.
Meanwhile, representatives of importers have also complained that they are not receiving their consignments on time.
Quazi Ajmal Hossain, law secretary of the Dhaka Customs Agents Association, told TBS, "Many imported goods got wet in Saturday's rain due to the absence of sheds. No new sheds have been built yet."
"It is unfortunate that even after two weeks since the fire, new and necessary sheds have not been set up. Is the capacity really that limited?" he asked.
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He added that only Biman Bangladesh Airlines authorities can provide accurate data on how much of the imported cargo has been damaged by the rain.
Md Rashidul Hasan, managing director of Barisal Agency, a C&F agent working for Incepta Pharmaceuticals Ltd, told TBS, "Three consignments of Incepta arrived on two flights four days ago. After much searching, we have found only one so far; the rest are still missing."
Many others are also searching for their imported goods in the same way, he added.
Faisal Samad, director of the Bangladesh Garment Manufacturers and Exporters Association (BGMEA), said, "Some goods got wet due to the lack of sufficient sheds. We are checking whether any of our member factories' shipments are among them."
The massive fire erupted at around 2:30pm on 18 October in the cargo village of Hazrat Shahjalal International Airport and was brought under control by intense joint efforts by the fire service, armed forces and civil aviation authorities.
The country's ready-made garment (RMG) owners have expressed deep concern that the fire at the airport could lead to the loss of export orders, further straining the already struggling apparel sector.
Though the exact extent of direct damage from the fire is yet to be determined, traders fear that the incident could have an impact of over $1 billion on the country's import and export activities.
Meanwhile, the cargo village at the airport, gutted in the blaze, had insurance coverage of only Tk20 lakh, according to officials.
Lt Col Mohammad Tajul Islam Chowdhury, director (operations and maintenance) of the fire service, said on 19 October that the fire could have been prevented if proper detection and protection systems had been installed there.
