Who will save Dhaka's roads? (Part-III)

After the latest downpour, waterlogging hit Green Road, Tejturi Bazar, Panthapath, Bashundhara Residential Area, Monipur, Dhanmondi 27 and 32, Mohammadpur, Shewrapara, Kalshi and Uttara. Knee-deep water slowed traffic, made alleys impassable and forced pedestrians onto main roads, where passing vehicles splashed dirty water over them.

At Kazipara on Rokeya Sarani, boats had plied the main road a day earlier. Although the water had receded from the main road by the following day, it remained in side lanes, with no corporation or Wasa worker seen supervising.

Recently repaired roads also suffered. The stretch from Bijoy Sarani to Agargaon was badly damaged, while the Kakrail-Mouchak road and the road beneath the Bijoy Sarani-Tejgaon flyover broke up again. The road beside Kalshi Journalists’ Colony in Mirpur was similarly damaged.

Waterlogging slowed traffic at the Banani-Kakoli elevated expressway exit, ECB Chattar and in front of Jamuna Future Park, where Wasa’s pipe-laying work added to the disruption. Two road collapses compounded the crisis: Gulshan Lake overflowed, damaging the link road to Shahjadpur, while a burst Wasa pipe at Narinda Mor in old Dhaka washed away soil and brought traffic to a complete halt.

Flooded engines stalled hundreds of CNG auto-rickshaws and private cars, public transport became scarce, and many commuters had to wade through dirty water. Rickshaws and auto-rickshaws charged several times the usual fares. Traffic police urged people to avoid non-essential journeys, with severe waterlogging reported around the Kakoli ramp, Khilkhet and Dhaka Gate.

Rickshaw puller Safiqur Rahman said mud and potholes made journeys twice as long. Businessman Baten Sikder alleged that workers had filled potholes with bricks and levelled them with a bulldozer instead of properly repairing the road, leaving it even lower.

The Dhaka-Mymensingh Highway between Rajlakshmi and Abdullahpur has remained in poor condition for two or three years, according to residents and drivers. Rainwater hides potholes, contributing to frequent vehicle accidents and recent fatalities.

Why roads fail
Professor Md Hadiuzzaman, a transport specialist, said prolonged contact with water weakens bitumen, loosens stones and causes road surfaces to break down. Water also weakens the underlying soil, particularly in areas built on filled lowlands.

Since most Dhaka roads use flexible pavement, converting them all to concrete would be prohibitively expensive, he said. Effective drainage is therefore essential to protecting roads. Urban planner Dr Adil Muhammad Khan, executive director of the Institute for Planning and Development, also stressed the need for swift action to remove stagnant water.

A drainage crisis
Dhaka’s rivers, canals and wetlands once absorbed monsoon water and released it gradually into surrounding rivers. Many have since been filled, encroached upon or clogged with rubbish. Drainage infrastructure has failed to keep pace with urban growth, while plastic, polythene, bottles and construction waste block drains. Intense rainfall and high river levels further obstruct drainage. In parts of the Dhaka South City Corporation area, uncovered manholes pose additional hazards.