Flood in the Northeast: Restoring road communication now priority
As all rivers except the Surma were reportedly flowing below the danger level yesterday afternoon, the authorities are now prioritising repairing the damaged roads and restoring communication.
A total of 207 roads in Sylhet and Sunamganj were flooded and around 887 kilometres of road were damaged in the recent flood, according to the Roads and Highways Department (RHD) and Local Government Engineering Department (LGED).
However, both the authorities started the final assessment of the loss and planning for initial repair works.
In Sylhet, around 120 roads spanning 277 kilometres under LGED and 10 roads spanning 72 kilometres under RHD have been damaged in the flood.
The primary estimates suggest that 67 roads spanning 458 kilometres under LGED and 7 roads spanning 80 kilometres under RHD have been damaged in Sunamganj.
Eight bridges and culverts have also been damaged in the district, while some were even washed away.
Md Enamul Kabir, executive engineer of LGED in Sylhet, said, "We are hopeful to complete the damage assessment by next week. We have demanded the department for an emergency allotment for restoration works."
"Some roads like Sheola-Shutarkandi or Zakiganj roads are still submerged in some parts. It will take a while to assess the damage but we are currently focusing on repairing the extremely damaged parts to restore communication," said Md Mostafizur Rahman, executive engineer of RHD in Sylhet.
"Besides roads, several dykes were also damaged. But we are initially planning to restore modes of communication that have been snapped off and then repair all damages. According to primary estimates, the total loss amounts to be more than Tk 120 crore," said Md Mahbub Alam, executive engineer of LGED in Sunamganj.
On the other hand, RHD in Suamganj is faced with extreme damage to the road protection blocks, damaged by floodwater.
"The assessment will take time but we are now planning for emergency works and asked the department for allocation," said Md Ashraful Islam, executive engineer of RHD in Sunamganj.
Meanwhile, the flood situation has seen further improvement in the district as the Kushiyara started flowing below the danger level at all points, according to the Flood Forecasting and Warning Centre (FFWC).
However, the rivers downstream are still swelling, while some low-lying areas remain flooded.
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