Seven bridges lying broken for months
A large number of people are suffering as seven collapsed bridges in Patuakhali and Barguna districts have not been rebuilt or repaired months after they broke.
Of them, four are in Amtali upazila of Barguna, and one each in Taltali in Barguna, and Dashmina and Galachipa upazilas in Patuakhali.
The middle portion of the lone bridge on Sutabaria canal in Dashmina collapsed as a sand-laden cargo hit it on January 14 this year.
Five-year-old Nusrat died after falling into the canal and four others were injured during the incident. Several thousand villagers including students are suffering as the bridge hasn't been repaired.
“Around 200 school children have to cross the canal by boat to attend classes,” said Hiron Ahmed, acting headmaster of Betagi High School.
The Local Government Engineering Department (LGED) repaired a steel bridge in Pankhali village under Galachipa upazila in November last year but it collapsed after five months, causing injuries to at least 10 school children. Over 1,500 people including a good number of school-goers used the bridge daily but it has not been repaired yet.
Abu Saleh Md Hanif, executive engineer of Patuakhali LGED, said steps will be taken to renovate the bridge soon.
In Barguna's Taltali, a 60-metre-long and three-metre-wide bridge on Kachupatra canal was built by the LGED in 1997-98 fiscal year and it collapsed during the onslaught of super cyclone Sidr in 2007. Afterwards, local people made a bamboo bridge to cross the canal.
In Amtali upazila, a wooden bridge built by local Sadar union parishad on Uttar Tiakhali canal in 2015 collapsed about three months ago. Several hundred students and villagers of Uttar Tiakhali used it to go to schools and Amtali upazila headquarters.
A concrete bridge on Banshbunia canal, collapsed by cyclone Roanu on May 21 in 2016, is yet to be repaired. The LGED built a concrete bridge in 2006 at a cost of Tk 40 lakh and over 20,000 people in these areas used it to go to upazila headquarters.
Middle portion of a bridge on Badura Varani canal near Chawla Bazar of Atharogachhia union in Amtali collapsed when a sand-laden cargo hit it in 2013. Later, locals made it somehow usable by setting a wooden platform on the broken part.
Md Nazrul Islam, upazila engineer of LGED, said they have already sent a letter to the higher authorities for funds to repair it.
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