5km detour due to a 30ft washed-out road
Bridge-linking clay road, damaged nearly a month ago by rain, remains unattended
Residents of ward-33 in Rangpur city have been suffering immensely since part of a clay road connecting Damdama bridge was washed away following a record-breaking downpour on September 26.
As a result, locals are having to use a five-kolometre diversion road to cross the area.
Hossainnagar residents said the 150x24-feet bridge was built by the Local Government Engineering Department (LGED) over river Ghagat in 2012.
According to Met office, Rangpur recorded a 433mm rainfall on September 26, which left the whole city waterlogged.
Strong currents washed away a 30ft stretch of the link road in Hossainnagar, snapping communication between the ward and the main city.
Sirajul Islam, councillor of ward-33, said the ward is far away from central city and the residents have to cross the river through the bridge to go to workplaces and for other necessary reasons.
Following the incident, locals put a bamboo structure in the gap on their own at a cost of Tk 20,000. But that is not working for vehicles properly.
Younus Ali, a resident of Mekura, said he needs to go to Pairabandh every day. "Now I have to use another road which is 5km long," he further told the newspaper.
Rezaul Haq, executive engineer of LGED in Rangpur, said they are aware of the situation.
They are trying to have a project proposal approved by the higher authorities in Dhaka to renovate the road for minimising public sufferings, he added.