Symbol of negligence
A thick black patch of sewage covers the road and entrance to Bangladesh Association for the Aged and Institute of Geriatric Medicine (BAAIGM), the only hospital for senior citizens at Sher-e-Bangla Nagar in the capital.
The road stretching from Technical Education Board to the edge of Islamic Foundation is filled with dirty water and sewers for around seven months due to clogging of the sewerage there but no move has yet been made to clean it up, local people said.
Dhaka North City Corporation (DNCC), Public Works Department (PWD) and Dhaka Water Supply and Sewerage (Wasa) are at loggerheads over whose responsibility it is to clean up the road whereas pedestrians and people in the neighbourhoods continue to suffer.
Executive Engineer of DNCC Zone-5 Md Farhad said PWD was responsible for the maintenance of the road, as it had not handed over the charge to the city corporation.
He alleged the city corporation authorities had written to PWD to hand over the charge of the roads in Agargaon but did not get any positive response.
An executive engineer of PWD, however, said it was Wasa's duty to clear drains of waste.
When his attention was drawn to the fact that the surface drains along the road belong to his department, he argued that the main drainage lines, which belonged to Wasa, were blocked, leading to blocking of surface drains as well.
Mohammad Shahid Miyan, executive engineer of PWD, said PWD would take steps for a permanent solution to the problem after the monsoon.
He also said the authorities were also going to hand over the charge of the road to DNCC.
Shahid, however, added that it was difficult to carry out regular cleaning activities due to illegal encroachment and lack of fund. The drains remain blocked mainly because of illegal encroachment to set up shanties, he added.
SDM Kamrul Alam Chowdhury, one of deputy managing directors of Wasa, said it was the duty of Wasa to clear the main sewerage channel of the area, but PWD was supposed to clear the surface drains.
The BAAIGM on April 23 issued a letter to DNCC to take proper steps to improve the drainage system and get garbage off the road.
“We have to wade through ankle-to-knee-deep dirty water, especially during rain, as rain water along with sewage enters the premises of the hospital,” said Nazneen Islam, a daughter of a staff of BAAIGN.
Patients suffer immensely due to the poor condition of the road, she added.
People at the hospital experience foul smell, said Saleha Begum, a staff member of BAAIGM.
Mohammad Roni, of Shohider Tek of Agargaon, said residents of the area saw some action by the authorities concerned to clean up the drains around 10 days ago, but that brought little change.
The road has now become a breeding ground for mosquitoes, he added.
“I have had a loss of around Tk 70,000 due to waterlogging,” said Nazrul Islam, a shopkeeper who sells scrap items on the road.
The authorities concerned should take steps immediately and clear the drains of waste regularly, he added.
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