Deplorable roads
Monsoon has been playing havoc with the roads and alleys of the capital. Bus commuters, especially the elderly, are having an especially hard time. There must be a permanent solution. The government should punish the errant officers and contractors responsible for poor workmanship; and implement new technologies and products for sustainable solutions to Dhaka’s road problems. They need to stop encroachment of whatever water bodies are left.
For years the various departments of the capital have been engaging in a cycle of counter-productive practices. Residential streets are carpeted with tar even in areas where it is not needed. The tarred surfaces are then dug up whenever they have to cut the roads to repair electrical cables or pipes. This leaves mounds of soil on the road that turn to mud when it rains. As a result, the surface of the streets rises above the ground level of the houses, thus reversing the flow of storm-water from the streets into homes and compounds. The roads are dug up once for the installation of service lines, and then again for some construction work. Why can’t they all work together? Given that electric cables run across the same street as water pipes, these renovations often fill sanitary and drinking water pipes with dirty water.
The authorities must stop raising the tarred street level above that of the houses. There must be better coordination between the DNSCC and WASA. We hope the government will take this matter very seriously.
Zubair Khaled Huq
By email
