Band-aid fix of road elevation: Can this really solve Ctg waterlogging?

A shop owner in Abdul Hakim Sowdagor Lane of Chattogram city's Chawkbazar was busy raising the height of retaining walls in front of his store.

"The recent heavy rains caused significant flooding in the store. It damaged two refrigerators and many products. So we are raising the front wall to match the increased road level," said Md Ali Akbar, owner of Mansur Departmental Store.

Ali Akbar is not alone in his efforts. 

A visit to the area on 30 May revealed similar actions being taken by at least three other building owners. Many local structures experienced flooding during the rains brought about by Cyclone Remal.

The Chattogram City Corporation elevated the road by about 2.5 feet in early May, a common measure in recent years aimed at tackling waterlogging. However, this strategy has sparked debate among residents and experts, who question its effectiveness as a long-term solution.

For the past two decades, raising road levels has been the city corporation's primary approach to waterlogging in low-lying areas, with Abdul Hakim Sowdagor Lane being a recent example of this strategy.

Although raising roads provides temporary relief from flooding on the streets, it makes the ground floors of houses and buildings unusable, causing repeated losses for property owners.

"Through repeated repairs, the city corporation has raised the road by an estimated six to seven feet over the past 20 years. The ground floors of most houses here are no longer usable. New buildings are being constructed, which are significantly higher than the road level," said Iqbal Hossain, another resident.

In areas like Halishahar, Pahartali, Doublemooring, Khulshi, Dampara, Mehdibagh, Bakalia, Chawkbazar, Katalganj, Badurtala, Bahaddarhat, and Shulkbahar, the ground floors of older buildings sit several feet below the main road level.

Shops in many areas are now several feet below the road level. Even in the wider streets, ground floors in Agrabad CDA and Panchlaish residential areas experience frequent flooding, with some instances of rainwater submerging up to eight to ten feet of the staircases

Experts attribute the city's waterlogging problem to unplanned urbanisation and quick fixes like road elevation.

Delwar Majumder, former chairman of the Institution of Engineers, Bangladesh (IEB) Chattogram Centre, explained the shortcomings of this approach.

Photo: TBS

"Raising roads is not a solution to waterlogging. Elevated roads trap water around nearby buildings and structures, extending the drainage time. Additionally, these raised roads act as barriers, hindering water drainage.  In many areas, raising roads has resulted in burying cross drains, rendering the drainage system dysfunctional," he said.

Despite the residents' concerns, the city corporation continues its efforts to improve the city's infrastructure by raising road heights.

According to the city corporation, Chattogram has a network of 2,747 roads stretching 1,195.5 kilometres in length. Paved roads make up 859 kilometres, concrete roads account for 330 kilometres, and unpaved roads cover the remaining 15.5 kilometres.

The city corporation utilises two separate budgets to maintain and elevate these roads.

Over the past five fiscal years (2018-19 to 2022-23), the city corporation allocated a total of Tk155.20 crore for road repairs, maintenance, and development.

This amount included Tk27 crore designated for repairs and maintenance under the land, roads, drains, and cut roads budget, and Tk128.20 crore allocated for road and footpath development.

An additional Tk37 crore was spent on a separate budget for clearing waterlogging from canals, rivers, and drains.

Beyond these regular expenditures, the CCC is currently undertaking a project, "Development of Various Roads under Chattogram City Corporation and Development of Important Infrastructure."

This project carries a price tag of approximately Tk2,500 crore and aims to develop 769 kilometres of roads. Over the past year and a half, more than Tk430 crore has been spent on the project, with the major segments of the funds directed towards road repairs and elevation.

Jasim Uddin, the project's deputy director and executive engineer of the city corporation, told TBS, "We have raised between 20% and 25% of the altogether 769 kilometres of roads. To address waterlogging, some roads have been elevated by heights ranging from 2 feet to 4.5 feet. We are also raising the level of the alleys in accordance with the main roads, considering the requests of local residents."

When questioned about the effectiveness of temporary solutions like road elevation for waterlogging, CCC Chief Engineer (in-charge) Mohammad Shahin-ul Islam Chowdhury said, "The consulting firm's design and plan are guiding the road elevation process. They have taken all factors into account."