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Published : 04 Sep 2024, 01:27 PM
Nearly 1,100 km of paved roads have been damaged in the intense recent flooding in Cumilla, according to the Local Government Engineering Department and the Highways Department. Rural highways and roads have also seen severe damage.
Fourteen of the 17 Upazilas in the district saw the impact of the horrific floods. The water inundated the roads up to knee or even chest height in some areas. After ten days of flooding, the water has begun to retreat from roads in many areas, revealing the damaged infrastructure.
The flooding and current were so intense in some areas that nearly all signs that roads used to exist were washed away.
Twenty-six bridges and culverts were damaged on the LGED’s roads during the flooding in the district. Some bridges were completely destroyed. The dams and embankments in the district have suffered serious damage as well.
Mohammad Saiduzzaman Sadek, executive engineer of the Cumilla LGED said: “Most of the roads in flooded areas are still under water. So far, 968 km of roads have been damaged by the floodwater. But we still can’t give an accurate account of the damage as the water has yet to recede. It will take more time.”
“In addition, two collapsed bridges are among the 26 culverts that have been breached and damaged. Once the water retreats, we will speedily inform the higher authorities about the extent of the damage and the repairs necessary.”
Suniti Chakma, executive engineer of the Cumilla Roads and Highways Department, said: “About 100 km of our roads and highways have been damaged. Aside from one or two, the water has retreated from most of the roads. We are taking initiatives to quickly repair the damaged roads.”
On Aug 22, various areas of the Dhaka-Chittagong highway in Chauddagram Upazila were flooded by heavy rains and torrential runoff coming down from India. The highway was submerged in knee-deep and waist-deep water. The continuous presence of the water has washed away the carpeting in many areas and created many large and small potholes.
Though there is no water on the road now, whenever it rains, the potholes fill up with water. This makes them very dangerous. A 45 km stretch of the country’s busiest highway is in Chauddagram Upazila.
The Cumilla-Burichang road was the most badly damaged by the flood. The Burichang-Brahmanpara road also saw quite a bit of damage
The 11 km-long LGED road from Laksam-Manohargonj has become unusable. Most of the road is still knee-deep in water and large potholes have opened created by the water.
The Laksam-Nangalkot-Boxgonj road is also in critical condition. The receding water is also battering the Laksam-Bangadda-Chauddagram road badly.The condition of the Nangalkot-Bangadda-Baghmara road is dire. The state of nearly every road - Manoharganj-Shantibazar, Chitoshi-Hasnabad, Tughuria-Uttar Howla - in Laksam, Manoharganj and Nangalkot is bad.
The roads in Burichang and Brahmanpara Upazilas, which were completely flooded after the Gomti River overflowed, are even worse. The Bharasar, Ichapura, Burburia, Kalikapur, and Bhabanipur roads in Burichang Upazila have nearly become ditches. Most of the rural roads in the Upazila have been washed away.
The Gopalnagar road in Brahmanpara Upazila has seen extensive damage. The Khalilpur Saichapara road of Debidwar Upazila has collapsed. The road is now littered with large potholes.
Several roads in various parts of the Chauddagram Municipality have been severely damaged by the flood currents too. The road next to the newly constructed technical school in the Balujuri area was submerged in flood water. Now it looks as if no road ever existed there.
Traffic on the Balujuri, Noapara, Ramchandrapur, Ramraygram East Bypass and Senirkhil roads has been halted due to potholes.
Meanwhile, most of the roads in Lalmai, Cumilla Sadar South, Cumilla Adarsha Sadar, Barura, Muradnagar, Debidwar, Daudkandi and Titas Upazilas are in poor condition.
Abed Ali, the district’s relief and rehabilitation officer, said that hundreds of kilometres of rural roads have been damaged by the terrible flood. However, he says the complete list of damaged roads is not yet finalised but will be ready in a day or two,
More than 600,000 people are still trapped by the water in Cumilla and there are still 63,699 people in shelters, he said.
