Roads risky even for walking

Stagnant rainwater has almost destroyed Bhuiyanpara road in ward-26 of Meradia, Dhaka. Pedestrians can only use the edge of the road while rickshaws are also usually reluctant to use it.Photo: STAR

The school van drops off Mitu, a Viqarunnisa Noon School student, at Sipahibagh, about a mile from her residence in Bhuiyanpara.
Her father, waiting there beforehand, weaves up to the class IV student. He tries to take a rickshaw home, in vain though. No one would overtax their brawn pedalling down the furrowed Bhuiyanpara road.
No other way on hand, they began walking down the road, the large schoolbag on the girl's back.
The father and daughter must repeat the same every day, barring a few exceptions when a rickshaw-puller would agree to take them on.
And Sipahibagh and Meradia residents must show that stoicism too. Most roads in the areas, under ward 25 and 26 of Dhaka City Corporation, are in dilapidation. Things only get worse in the rainy season.
Locals said the roads become waterlogged even in light showers, because the drains do not flow.
"I've to go through huge problems when it comes to bringing in goods from the city's old quarter, waiting long for a rickshaw to Meradia. Most rickshaw-pullers back off hearing the name," said Monir Hossain, a local shopkeeper.
Adding to the woes are open manholes. A brief look searched out no less than 10 such pits. They make going out risky, especially after rains, locals said.
One manhole in front of Alamgir Electric & Electronics, at 291/2 Bhuiyapara, has been without a lid over the past one and a half years.
“A man fell into it last week, after rain. He survived as we helped him up immediately," said Liton, an employee at a nearby shop.
A woman injured herself after stepping into one such manhole in front of Kabir General Store at 292 Bhuiyanpara, he said adding that such incidents are now pretty regular in the vicinity.
Ward councillor for Ward 26, Mamunur Rahman Fazu, said they could not do any repair work for unavailability of funds in the last budget.
He said roadworks in his ward will cost about Tk 6 crore. The Bhuiyanpara road and the main road through Meradia need repairs on an urgent basis, he said.
He blamed filling the nearby jheels for waterlogging. Rainwater used to run down into them in the past, he said.
The main road through Sipahibagh, under ward 25, has been in very poor condition for the past two years, a shopkeeper at Sipahibagh Bazar, Siraj, said. He said the road was last repaired four years ago.
Executive engineer for Zone 4 of Dhaka City Corporation Borhan Uddin Ahmed said they have already reported to the Nagar Bhaban about the need for repairing around 100 roads of Meradia and Sipahibagh.
As the roads go under water even in light showers, easily damaging them, he said it would be better if the roads were topped with concrete.
Md Abul Kalam Azad, executive officer for the zone, said they asked the Dhaka Wasa for new drainage two months back, to ease waterlogging.