Potholes, knee-deep mud: 80% rural roads crumble for repair funds shortage
Ill-maintained, damaged roads slow down the rural economy on top of making commuters’ lives harder
Two decades ago, when the 6km Chitalia-Gayatla mud road in Shariatpur Sadar upazila was paved, widened to 10 feet, the upgrade was a blessing for people of eight unions. Their travels to upazila and district towns became faster and more affordable when it became part of the local bus route.
But their good fortune did not last long. A bone-rattling ride on this road last week exposed the shoddy work and neglect that these rural networks have been suffering from for decades. The road carpeting was worn out and kilometres after kilometres of the road were sprinkled with potholes and ditches like ugly pox marks left on a once pretty face. At places, stones came loose, exposing the base soil. Buses last plied the road six years ago.
"When the roads were in good condition, we could sell rice and jute in Shariatpur city, Kazirhat port, and the Shibchar market. Now, with rising transportation costs, we have to sell our crops from home," said Yunus Khalasi, a local farmer.
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Good roads improved life
That is one key aspect of an improved rural road that connects farms to markets and facilitates local businesses. It makes rural life easier and vibrant in a lot more ways. Ill-maintained, damaged roads slow down the rural economy on top of making travel harder.
As there has been no repair work on the Chitalia-Gayatla Road for seven years now, road users such as local high school teacher Liton Sardar or easy bike driver Miraz Sheikh have to struggle every day.Their travel time and cost went up.
Around 50% of the paved roads managed by LGED in Shariatpur district are in equally poor condition.
Officials at the Local Government Engineering Department (LGED), the government agency that builds and maintains rural roads, said this is more or less common to almost 80% of the country's 1.29 lakh km rural road network – instrumental in stimulating local economy and life by easing the transportation of people and goods.
Last year, 60% of the rural roads were in bad shape, meaning that rural roads this year are worse than a year before with floods doing more harm in some regions.
Their annual budget is enough for repairing only 15% of the damaged road and the amount allotted in the annual budget is often not disbursed fully, they added, supplying an explanation why rural roads lay dilapidated for long leaving local commuters in distress.
July uprising didn't help either
Massive protests in July and the subsequent regime change in August, and the formation of a new government – these transitions impacted routine maintenance work on roads, and recurrent floods and rains further worsened the road conditions, officials said.
The longer the repair is delayed, the more it will cost to repair, said Dewan Abdus Sabur, executive engineer, road and bridge maintenance unit of the LGED.
The government has allocated Tk3,300 crore for the repair of roads against the requirement of Tk21,485 crore in the current financial year, he informed.
He said it will be possible to repair around 5,500km of roads with the allocation in the current financial year. However, some old roads are repaired from the allocation of various development projects. An average of Tk1,500 crore-Tk2,000 crore is spent on repairs from the development budget, said the senior road engineer.
Due to limited funds, they can do routine maintenance every three to five years. Furthermore, emergency maintenance is needed to address damage caused by natural disasters, officials say.
An official from the Implementation Monitoring and Evaluation Department (IMED), speaking on condition of anonymity, told TBS, "Road projects are unsustainable due to the use of subpar construction materials, incompetent contractors, and corruption."
Floods, rains add to road woes
The 6km Hajipara-Chowdepalli road, part of the Lakshmipur-Noakhali regional road, has been impassable for the past two years. Despite repeated requests to former local members of parliament and public representatives, local residents have been unable to get the road back for vehicular traffic.
The road has deteriorated further, losing all soil due to heavy floods in August. The villagers continue to suffer due to the poor condition of this vital communication route.
Moreover, most roads in Lakshmipur district are now unfit for traffic. The situation has worsened significantly since the flood.
Besides floods, dilapidated roads turn worse in rains compounding the suffering of rural road users.
In several rural areas of Khulna, the main roads remain unpaved causing daily hardships for local residents. During the monsoon, these roads turn muddy, making travel nearly impossible through the knee-deep mud.
The condition of the 3.5km road from Baghardair to Gazinagar in the Magurkhali union of Dumuria upazila is another such poor road that is used by around 1,000 inhabitants from five villages for their daily commutes.
Samir, a local resident, said, "When the monsoon begins, travelling on this road becomes extremely difficult. Walking through knee-deep mud, I often slip, which is particularly dangerous for the elderly and children."
A similar situation exists on a road in Patharghata village of Rupsa upazila in Khulna, where pedestrians struggle as the road has not been renovated in six years.
Marufa Akhter, a college student from Bhimpur village in Naogaon Sadar, said a crucial 20-km dirt road connects Naogaon town to the village, with the Bhimpur police outpost at its western end and Naogaon town at the eastern edge.
She said even a little rain transforms this road into knee-deep mud, rendering it unusable.
"I have witnessed this situation for the past 10 years. Everyone promises to build this road before the elections, but once the votes are cast, no one follows up," she lamented.
Chota Changair village in the Nandigram upazila of Bogura can only be accessed from Vebarkuri Mauza via Talgachhi road. Locals transport rice and vegetables to the market using paddle vans along these dirt roads.
Smriti Khatun, a resident of the village, noted that the road conditions during the monsoon season are so poor that van pullers frequently suffer accidents while travelling.
"Ordinary people have no alternatives, as this situation persists year after year," she said.
Good road work protects against flood
Although a fifth of Feni district's 4,300km rural road network was badly damaged in the severe floods in August, some roads stand out unharmed. The 3km connecting rural market Kuthirhat to the Feni-Sonagazi Road was in good condition after flood waters receded, which the district LGED top official attributed to strict supervision under new guidelines.
"Supervision must have a role in quality road works," said Mahmud Al Faruk, executive engineer at LGED, Feni, claiming 70% of rural roads in the district are still in good shape even after Feni took a severe blow from the region's worst flooding in decades.
He said they have already sought additional funds for road repairs this year. "Two large projects are being prepared to respond to flood damages and Feni will be on one of the lists along with Noakhali, also flood hit," the official said.
Most LGED roads exceed 10-year lifespan
According to a 2004 government gazette, upazila roads were initially constructed with a width of 12 to 18 feet, while the latest 2021 gazette specifies a maximum width of 24 feet for upazila roads and up to 30 feet for industrial or commercial roads, with union roads being built up to 12 feet wide.
The 2021 gazette also mandates a minimum road thickness of 890mm under LGED, compared to the previous minimum of 582mm. Due to climate change considerations, there is now an emphasis on using 60 to 70 grade bitumen.
Dewan Abuds Sabur said only 10,000km to 12,000km of roads have been constructed according to the 2021 gazette standards. Most of the earlier roads have already exceeded their 10-year lifespan and are easily damaged, requiring frequent repairs.
He added that the primary reason roads in Bangladesh do not last long is due to delays in timely maintenance.
Pressure on maintenance cost
LGED officials say new road construction projects are proposed each year, which limits government funding for repairing deteriorated roads. Political leaders and bureaucrats often push for new road construction, while in rural areas, some residents build homes on agricultural land, apply for road registration, and pressure LGED to pave these roads.
Currently, LGED manages 211,314km of unpaved roads, with around 17,000km awaiting gazette registration. Officials noted that applications for registration of around 90,000km were made, with the Planning Commission approving 17,000km of these for listing.
In the current financial year, there is an allocation of Tk20,180 crore in the development budget.
Our correspondents Khorshed Alam from Bogura, Awal Sheikh from Khulna, Kazi Monirujjaman from Shariatpur, and Sana Ullah Sanu from Lakshmipur have contributed to the report.
