Endless roadworks torment Dhaka residents. Who’s to blame?

Hanifa Begum, a resident of West Kafrul in Shewrapara, Dhaka, regularly uses Taltala Road. For over seven months, she has seen many roads in the area left unrepaired after being dug up. 

This has made a large section of the road inaccessible to vehicles. During rains, water fills the dug-up sections, turning them muddy. In dry weather, dust plagues the area, causing inconvenience to residents.

Hanifa Begum told The Business Standard, “Because of Wasa’s (Water Supply and Sewerage Authority) work, it’s impossible to use this section during rains. Muddy water collects in the dug-up area, ruining clothes. Two days ago, a rickshaw overturned after falling into this ditch.”

Noman Mahmud, a biker who uses Asad Avenue, said, “They dig up the roads and leave them like that for months. This causes traffic congestion and accidents. The road has been like this for over three months, and no one seems to care.”

Jamal Hossain, a businessman in Old Dhaka, told TBS, “We are already frustrated with the traffic congestion in Old Dhaka, and the unfinished road repairs are making it worse. Bangshal Road has been in disrepair for several months. We’ve had to use bricks and sandbags to level it ourselves. Vehicles struggle to navigate the uneven surface, leading to frequent rickshaw accidents.”

The situation isn’t limited to Sheorapara, Mohammadpur, or Old Dhaka. Similar scenes can be found in at least 50 areas across the capital.

A TBS reporter who recently visited several areas, including Farmgate, Tejkunipara, Pallabi, Agargaon, Shewrapara, Badda, Moghbazar, Madhubagh, Paikpara, Mohammadpur, Uttara, Malibagh, Khilgaon, Rayerbazar, Green Road, Dhaka University, Nilkhet, Old Dhaka, Lalbagh, Bashabo, Shyampur, and Jatrabari, witnessed the deplorable condition of roads left unpaved by Dhaka Wasa.

Locals expressed their frustration, saying Dhaka Wasa digs up the roads, fills them with bricks and stones after a month or more, and then leaves them untouched for over six months without completing the repairs. They emphasised that road repair and carpeting are the city corporations’ responsibilities.

Dhaka Wasa claims its responsibility ends after filling the dug-up portions with bricks and stones, and handing over the site for actual road repair to the city corporations. Its officials assert that they have completed their task and it is now up to the corporations to take over.

The two city corporations, Dhaka North and Dhaka South, have a different perspective. They explain that they cannot immediately start road repairs after Wasa completes its work. They cite WASA’s practice of taking time for testing and inspection before handing over the site, which delays the repair process.

Additionally, they mention delays in appointing contractors for certain projects, further hindering progress.

The Dhaka City Road Digging Rules 2019 discourage road cutting during the rainy months of June, July, August, September, and October. The policy mandates fines for not completing work within specified deadlines and bans daytime excavation. However, these rules are not effectively enforced.

Similarly, the requirement for agencies to deposit 50% of additional fees for road excavation during the monsoon season and double the deposit fee if debris is not removed within 24 hours is often ignored.

The policy also states that the excavating agency must display start and end dates on-site using signboards. Work cannot be left unfinished for months under the pretext of road excavation.

Nighttime excavation should be completed by using modern equipment, and the road must be reopened for traffic by morning. The road should be restored to its original condition, smooth and suitable for use so that there is no sign of excavation.

However, these provisions are not being followed in reality. Even where repairs have been carried out, uneven surfaces can still be seen.

Dhaka South’s Zone-1 Executive Engineer (Civil) Saiful Islam Joy told TBS, “When Wasa requests permission to excavate roads, it is given a maximum of 15 days per segment.

“However, Wasa often does not finish within this timeframe, delaying the handover to the city corporation. Additionally, delays in the tendering process can further hinder repairs.”

He mentioned that road excavation work is currently going on at Dhaka University under his jurisdiction, and carpeting will be done once the work is completed.

Dhaka North’s Zone-5 Executive Engineer (Civil) Nurul Alam told TBS, “It usually takes five to six months to repair excavated roads because Wasa fails to meet the time frame.

“Wasa has been excavating in the Asad Gate area for two to four months. It has now finished and is checking the water pressure. We cannot complete the carpeting without their clearance.”

He added, “Often, after we finish carpeting, Wasa digs up the roads again. This depletes our budget, causing further problems for us.”

According to three engineers from the two Dhaka city corporations, there is a shortage of contractors capable of handling the extensive road excavation and repair work conducted by Wasa and other agencies within city corporation areas.

Delays in these projects are attributed to factors such as negligence by Wasa, challenges in tendering, contractor selection issues, and complaints from councillors.

The city corporations’ engineers also mentioned that Wasa has been worsening the situation by excavating more roads than authorised, which increases public inconvenience. Furthermore, many roads remain neglected until subsequent road development projects, leading to additional delays in repairs.

Dhaka Wasa’s Deputy Managing Director for Operations and Management Engr AKM Shahid Uddin told TBS, “We complete our work and hand over the site. It’s the city corporations that often fail to finish the repairs. Why should we be responsible for paving after filling with bricks and rubble?”

He added, “Our excavation is limited to a width of one foot and a depth of 4-5 feet, which should not cause significant disruption. However, when the city corporations leave the site unattended for months, the size of potholes on the roads increases, causing more inconvenience.”