Protest over waterlogging: Locals leave Dhaka-Aricha Highway after one-hour blockade, traffic returns to normal
The blockade ended at around 10:55am after police and army personnel successfully negotiated and convinced the demonstrators to leave the highway, allowing vehicular movement to normalise
Local residents had blocked the Dhaka-Aricha Highway for approximately one hour and 25 minutes in protest against persistent waterlogging affecting several areas of Tetuljhora Union in Savar.
The demonstration began at around 9:30am today (1 October) in the Fulbaria area of the highway, bringing all vehicular movement to a halt and creating a severe gridlock, confirmed Savar Highway Police Station Officer-in-Charge (OC) Saleh Ahmed.
"Police are at the scene and are working to persuade the demonstrators to clear the road," he assured.
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The demonstration, which lasted from 9:30am to 10:55am, brought all vehicular movement to a halt and created severe traffic gridlock.
The protestors claimed the crisis was caused by a lack of adequate drainage and was severely worsened after a piece of private land adjacent to the highway, which previously served as a critical water drainage channel, was recently filled up.
"The minimal drainage we had is now blocked. As a result, dirty drain water has flooded our homes, roads, and streets for the past week, severely disrupting our children's studies, private tuitions, and cooking," complained local resident Josna Begum, who demanded urgent administrative intervention.
Another resident, Siam Saad Chowdhury, echoed the sentiment, "The only drainage system we had has been blocked for the past two weeks, and [dirty] water is inside our homes. Our only demand is that the system for water drainage is restored."
Savar Upazila Nirbahi Officer (UNO) Md Abubakar Sarkar visited the scene and confirmed the cause of the crisis.
"The problem was created because the private land that previously allowed water to drain was recently filled up. We are trying to find a solution by discussing the matter with all concerned parties," the UNO told The Business Standard.
The blockade ended at around 10:55am after police and army personnel successfully negotiated and convinced the demonstrators to leave the highway, allowing vehicular movement to normalise.
