Sohrab Goth cattle market’s physical and monetary fall

Fear of animals falling ill prevails in the market after the heavy rainfall

KARACHI: There is a common phrase often heard before Eidul Azha, 'mandi gir gayi [the market fell]', which usually means prices of sacrificial animals at the cattle market have come down. However, on Monday night when the city witnessed heavy downpour with strong gust of winds, the phrase was once again used, not for the prices because the huge setup of the market, including marquees and tents, fell down due to the thunderstorm.

On Tuesday morning, it appeared as if a flood had swept away the site of the Asia's largest cattle market situated at Sohrab Goth on Super Highway, which is spread over 800 acres and consists of 26 blocks.

Despite the ban on billboards in the city, gigantic bill boards were installed at the market, many of which fell due to winds as they could not bear the rainfall and heavy winds. Some of the boards also fell on cars parked at the market, damaging them.



With around 10 days remaining in Eidul Azha, the market hosts more than 200,000 sacrificial animals which include cows, sheep and camel. However, it is feared that the recent rain may cause illnesses to the animals, which include flu, foot and mouth diseases, as well as Congo virus.

Soon after the rain stopped, the social media was filled with pictures and videos depicting the situation of the cattle market. In one of the videos, it was visible how the huge tents in the VIP block of the market had fallen due to the heavy rain and wind.

After the rain stopped, both the ordinary and special (VIP) portions of the market had the same bad condition. According to a trader, Usman Laakho, the customers are now forcing the sellers to sell their animals at a very low price. "They should be expressing solidarity with us since because we are the real victims of rain," he said, adding that the sellers in the market, in their jargon, call these opportunist customers as gidh (vultures). "Our animals can get ill, fodder for the animals has been wasted after getting wet and like last year, we have to bear the loss," Lakho lamented.



Meanwhile, the administrator of the cattle market, Syed Irshad Ahmed, said around 10 heavy duty suction pumps and bowsers are currently being used in the market to drain out the inundated water that has brought huge troubles for the people.

Ahmed added that power supply, which was suspended in the market after the rain, has been resumed and the VIP tents are being fixed. It will take another 24 hours to normalise the market, he said.

Many visitors, which mostly include youth who are passionate about sacrificial animals, have also expressed sympathy for the traders at the market and wished them good luck. "We should help the sellers as their money is at stake. Instead of pressurising the sellers to sell at low price, we should wait for a day for them to reorganise their tents," said a buyer, Salman Ali.