Dhaka roads are a mess!

Through the length and breadth of Dhaka city, the conditions of roads both major and minor are in a state of disrepair. The incessant rainfall of the past few weeks coupled with the uncoordinated development works carried out by different utility companies like RAJUK and WASA have made life miserable for its residents. Potholes and water logging seem to have become permanent features in some of the busiest roads at some of the most traffic congested areas of Dhaka including Gabtoli, Moghbazar, Malibagh, Badda, Jatrabari and Lalbagh. Indeed, local residents in these areas regularly have to wade through ankle or knee deep water which is often mixed with garbage that overflows from blocked sewerage. 

We find it totally unconscionable that authorities seem to have turned a blind eye to the horrendous conditions people must put up with—not just during rainy season when the situation gets amplified with water thrown into the mixture of bad experiences. Residents complain of long tailbacks and frequent overturning of non-motorised passenger carrying vehicles. Accidents are bound to happen and commuters are subject to wasted hours sitting in traffic that is unhelpful for commerce and industry too.

We are barely two weeks away from Eid-ul-Azha which will involve some 7 to 8 million people leaving the city for holidays. Our question to authorities is this: are we going to go for those cosmetic touch ups to roads and declare them fit for movement of heavy vehicles like buses? And what happens when the festivities are over? Is it back to business as usual for Dhaka residents who must contend with such chaos on a daily basis? Human suffering and loss of human lives appear to be no longer a concern for city authorities and that seems to be the fate of all those who call Dhaka their home.