Road Excavation Must Stop During the Monsoon
During the monsoon, heavy rain leaves roads and highways soft and vulnerable, while vehicle movement further damages already weakened surfaces. In Dhaka, waterlogging on many important roads causes further deterioration, making sections unsuitable for traffic. Yet government and utility agencies continue to excavate roads during the rainy season. City corporations, the Water Supply and Sewerage Authority, the Bangladesh Telecommunications Company Limited, Titas Gas, the power division and other agencies frequently undertake development work that involves road excavation during the monsoon. For years, residents have watched one agency dig up a road, only for another to excavate the same section afterward. The result is severe traffic disruption and immense public suffering.
A report published last week in the Daily New Age highlighted the unending hardship caused by monsoon road excavation, documenting digging on major roads as well as narrow lanes across the capital. For residents, the resulting disruption is difficult to describe, while when the suffering will end remains uncertain. Urban planners have repeatedly called for road excavation to be prohibited during the monsoon, and newspapers have carried extensive coverage of the issue. The agencies responsible, however, have largely ignored such appeals. There is nothing wrong with excavating roads when necessary for development or essential services. The problem is why these projects appear to become urgent specifically during the rainy season when they could be carried out during the dry months with far less disruption.
Excavated sections become particularly dangerous during heavy rain. Rainwater can turn open trenches into deadly traps, causing vehicles to crash and pedestrians to suffer serious injuries. Excavation also narrows roads and intensifies traffic congestion. Piles of soil, large pipes, electrical equipment and excavators leave little space for movement. The government previously issued directives against road excavation during the monsoon, while both city corporations have policies regulating such work. Yet agencies continue to excavate according to their own schedules, often without coordination. In many cases, one agency completes excavation and the road is repaired, only for another agency to dig up the same location soon afterward. Repeated excavation and repairs waste enormous amounts of public money. Such waste of taxpayers’ money in the name of development is difficult to justify. Often, excavated roads are also left unrepaired for days, further worsening conditions for residents and vehicles.
According to city corporation figures, Dhaka has nearly 3,000 kilometres of roads, including major roads and narrow lanes. Excavation at several important points can create disruptions that spread across wider areas, producing severe traffic congestion and wasting large amounts of working time. Students face difficulties travelling, while business, commerce and economic activity suffer. Environmental pollution is another consequence. Urban planners say service-providing agencies could substantially reduce public suffering if they coordinated their excavation work. Development projects require long-term planning, rather than temporary decisions that repeatedly disrupt the city. The priority should therefore be clear: road excavation must stop during the monsoon. Where excavation is unavoidable at other times, agencies must coordinate their work carefully so that development does not come at the cost of public safety, mobility, taxpayers’ money and the urban environment.
