Bangladesh News

Moving around the capital city in the middle of the monsoon has become extremely hazardous as most utility service providers started digging up 7,555 square metres of city roads with the approval from Dhaka City Corporation (DCC).

Following the heavy downpour last Monday, most city streets that lack proper drainage system became submerged in water and unmarked trenches and manholes dug on these streets turned into death traps for pedestrians and vehicles alike.

Munshi Habibur Rahman, employee of a barbershop at Jamtala of East Shewrapara, said local residents have been suffering immensely for the last two months as the Jamtala Road has been dug up for the installation of a sewerage system.

“During Monday’s heavy rain, I saw a female garment worker stumbling into an unmarked under-construction manhole,” he said adding that the girl could die there unless a few good Samaritans pulled her to safety.

“Everyday I have to walk about half a kilometre to hire a rickshaw, if I’m lucky enough to get one, as I can’t use my car due to the ongoing digging on the road,” said Samiya Islam, a resident of Al-Samir apartment in the area, who has to escort her daughter to and from school everyday.

Mayna, worker of a local sweater factory, said the road becomes very dangerous even after a light shower as the under-construction open manholes on the road get immersed in ankle to knee-deep rainwater mixed with filthy sewage.

Road digging in Jhilpar area at Modhubagh by Dhaka Wasa (Water and Sewerage Authority) for the last 25 days has left the roads unsuitable for vehicular movement, causing tremendous difficulties to locals, said Jhilpar resident Hassan

Sheema, a resident of the same area, said, “I have to go about half a mile on foot to get to my work due to the digging on the road that becomes especially hazardous during rains.”

While speaking with the Daily Star recently, Dhaka City Mayor Sadeque Hosssain Khoka blamed the absence of proper coordination for the unplanned road digging by different utility providers in the city.

Coordination among different utility service providers is very essential and their work should be brought under a single umbrella to ease the sufferings of the people in the city, Khoka said.

Different utility service providers apply for approval of their projects by June [the closing month of a fiscal year] in order to collect allotted funds for the projects and that is why they tend to do the work in the rainy season, explained the mayor.

The DCC most of the time has to approve the work at the eleventh hour, considering the urgency of the work, he added.

Khoka however blamed Dhaka Wasa for violating guidelines set by One Stop Cell that was established in 2003 to coordinate works of different utility service providers.

“We cannot take action against Wasa as it is a government organisation,” said the mayor of Dhaka.

A DCC official said the One Stop Cell, since its establishment in 2003, has failed to improve the disorderly situation due to flagrant violations of its guidelines by the utility service providers.

According to the guidelines, a utility service provider has to publish a notice in newspapers about their work in a particular area and make announcements over loudspeakers in the area seven days before the commencement of the work.

Besides, the excavation work has to be completed within a certain time with modern equipment and the work has to be done mainly at night with sufficient lights and signal lights marking the site.

Earth from the excavated area must be removed within 24 hours of digging so it does not block the movement of vehicles and pedestrians, says the guidelines.

The utility service providers, however, ignore all these guidelines, posing danger to the road users of the city.

Road excavation has been going on at various locations in the city including Anjuman Mufidul Islam Sharani, Maghbazar, Nayatola, Madhubagh, New Eskaton Road, Shewrapara, Bakshibazar, road near Dhaka Medical College Hospital (DMCH), Dhanmondi, Mirpur Road, Lake Circus and Kalabagan. Sidewalks near the secretariat and a number of other areas have also been dug.

Dhaka Wasa and BTTB have been digging up 695.16 square metres of road in Ward 50 of DCC while PGCB (Power Grid Company of Bangladesh) is digging up 198 square metres of the road from Anjuman Mufidul Islam Sharani to Pioneer Road.

The PGCB is also working on 788.40 square metres of road from Maghbazar crossing to the residence of the chief justice on Captain Mansur Ali Sharani. Sheba Telecom (Pvt) Ltd is working on 127.80 square metres of road on Natok Sharani.

Dhaka Wasa is also digging up 236.52 square metres of road at Greenway Nayatola, 1239.32 square metres at Mirbagh Wasa Road, 840 square metres on Bangladesh Muktijoddha Sangsad Lane beside New Eskaton Road and 712.30 square metres of road near DMCH.

Gas pipeline installation work for a CNG filling station is also in progress on the road from Bakshibazar Square to the Central Shahid Minar.

Besides, Sheba Telecom and the BTTB will dig 648 square metres of Mirpur Road from Russell Square to Dhanmondi Club ground, roads 14 and 27 at Dhanmondi and various spots on Mirpur Road and roads in the Lake Circus area. Sheba Telecom will also dig 1,500 square metres of road from Road 9 to Road 8/A (old 15) of Dhanmondi and the road from Rayer Bazar High School to Mitali Road via Sher-e-Bangla Road.