Sagar Biswas :
Most roads and footpaths of the capital city Dhaka have become unusable for the movement of vehicles and pedestrians due to incoordinated digging by different utility services.
Especially, the situation has turned for the worst because of unprecedented heavy rains in the ongoing summer season while hundreds of ditches and potholes have created in the streets pushing the drivers and pedestrians to a miserable situation.
The residents of Mirpur, from section 12 to Taltola, have been facing the most awkward situation for the last three months for digging of Rokeya Sarani in the middle portion by the Metro Rail authorities where traffic jam is a regular phenomenon.
Usually, the city areas including, Uttara, Gulshan, Dhanmondi, Banani, Malibagh, Rampura, Moghbazar, Badda, Shantinagar, Khilgaon, Shantibagh, Kakrail, Rajarbagh, Mughdah, Mohammadpur, Mirpur, Pallabi and a large part of old Dhaka go under water every day in the rainy season.
Presently, it makes an awful situation for the dwellers even after a little shower where DESCO, DPDC, WASA and Titas Gas are conducting their works. In some areas, the city corporations are also doing development activities, including repairing of drains. Pedestrians often fell in the ditches and accidents by vehicles turned out to be fatal.
Executive Engineer of DPDC Md Ramiz Uddin Sarakar said, “We had taken initiatives to conduct the development works before staring of rainy season. But we did not get permission from the city corporation.”
In this regard, Managing Director of Dhaka Water and Sewerage Authority Engineer Taskin A Khan said: “The illegal consumers have created holes and small ditches on the roads to take connections. Usually, contaminated water enters through the leakages. We’re now working to repair the leakages. It is not for creating harm to dwellers.”
It is alleged that the city corporations could not keep coordination due to lack of any legal authority.
Chief Executive Officer of DSCC Khan Mohammad Bilal said the mayor held a meeting with the flyover construction firm authorities and asked them to free the roads under the flyover for smooth movement of vehicles and pedestrians.
Several officials of the two city corporations, Dhaka South and Dhaka North, have claimed water stagnated as the drains failed to drain out rain water into the canals where out of 54 only 13 are in use. The constant encroachment on the canals was the prime reason behind water stagnation on the city’s roads, they further said.
Not only that, the lanes and by-lanes in the localities are also in a bad condition. The condition of roads in most of the city wards is simply miserable where water stagnancy is also a common feature. When visited the Badda Link Road sewerage pipe line was found under repair. It was being done by digging the footpath which has recently turned into a death trap, for which it is almost impossible for a pedestrian to use the walkway. It was clearly visible that the utility services were conducting development activities without any coordination.
Another example can be cited here. The road opposite to the DNCC was partially dug by the DESCO in the morning of March 10 but refilled the portion again in the noon as it did not get clearance from the authorities concerned. “We had started cutting the road in the morning. But DSCC officials asked us to cut and refill the road in the night,” said the DESCO contractor, requesting not to be named.
At present, several areas under DNCC, including Kazi Para, Shewra Para, Kafrul, Tolarbagh, Uttara and Ashkona are now facing severe water stagnancy. The condition of roads at Shahjadpur is in bad shape for the last couple of years. Now the situation has taken an awful turn during the rain.
“It will not be possible to repair the roads of Shahjadpur this fiscal year. We’ll able to complete it next fiscal,” Ward Councillor Md Zakir Hossain said.
In the DSCC, the condition of entire Moghbazar and Malibagh is very miserable due to slow pace of construction work of Moghbazar- Malibagh flyover. The local fear the situation will turn for the worst this year as the City Corporations are running other development works, including repairing of drains.
DSCC Mayor Sayeed Khokan after visiting the spot on Monday said there will be no water stagnancy from August after the completion of different development works. If the works of Moghbazar- Malibagh flyover are completed by June next, the sufferings of dwellers will be reduced, ” the Mayor hoped.
