Chattogram: Tk 5,000 crore wasted on roads in 10 years

The Port Connecting Road, known as the 'lifeline' of Chattogram, is also popularly referred to as the PC Road. In November 2022, the Chattogram City Corporation (CCC) completed the renovation of this road at a cost of Tk 180 crore. But within a year, potholes began appearing on the road, which is used daily by over 4,000 cargo vehicles ply to the port back and forth.

This is not an isolated case; at the onset of the current monsoon season, most roads in the city have been damaged. Over the past 10 years, the CCC has spent nearly Tk 4,940 crore on road repairs. Yet, even a little rain washes away work worth hundreds of crores of taka.

Experts say that substandard construction work is the reason roads fall into disrepair within a short time. Meanwhile, city corporation officials claim that while substandard work may have happened in the past, roads are now being built with quality maintained.

CCC Mayor Dr. Shahadat Hossain said, "Record rainfall has caused public suffering on roads in various wards of the city. These damaged roads will be quickly repaired to ensure safe and uninterrupted movement for citizens. Under no circumstances should repair work be delayed."

A document from the CCC's engineering department provides a zone-wise account of the damage caused by a week of heavy rainfall. It shows that a total of 196.79 kilometers of roads across six zones in the city have been damaged, with repairs estimated to cost Tk 347.82 crore.

Zone-wise breakdown

Zone 4 (North Pathantuli, North Agrabad, South Agrabad, Pathantuli Ward, West Madarbari, East Madarbari, and Gosaildanga Ward) has suffered the most damage, with 67.82 kilometers of roads affected. The estimated repair cost is Tk 90.19 crore.

Zone 6 (North Madhyam Halishahar, South Madhyam Halishahar, South Halishahar, North Patenga, and South Patenga Wards) has 26.79 kilometers of damaged roads, with repair costs estimated at Tk 65.10 crore.

Zone 5 (North Pahartali, North Kattali, South Kattali, Saraipara, North Pathantuli, Rampur, and North Halishahar Wards) has 23 kilometers of damaged roads, with repairs costing Tk 65 crore.

Zone 2 (Chandgaon, Mohra, East Sholashahar, East Bakalia, South Bakalia, and Bakshir Hat Wards) has 26 kilometers of damaged roads, with repairs estimated at Tk 45 crore.

Zone 1 (South Pahartali, Jalalabad, Panchlaish, West Sholashahar, and Shulakbahar Wards) has 28.62 kilometers of damaged roads, with repair costs estimated at Tk 43.81 crore.

Zone 3 (Lalkhan Bazar, Bagmoniram, Chakbazar, Dewanbazar, Jamalkhan, Enayet Bazar, Alkaran, Andarkilla, Firingi Bazar, and Patharghata Wards) has 24.56 kilometers of damaged roads, with repairs costing Tk 39.12 crore.

An analysis of the city corporation's budget data shows that from fiscal year 2016-17 to fiscal year 2025-26, a total of Tk 4,940 crore was spent on road repairs over the decade through various projects and self-funding. Among these, the highest expenditure was in FY 2023-24, amounting to Tk 784.80 crore. In FY 2019-20, Tk 760.50 crore was spent, and in FY 2025-26, Tk 743 crore was spent. The city has a total road network of 1,442 kilometers.

On the ground, the two-kilometer stretch of the PC Road from Nimtala to Barapul is in a deplorable state. On one side, the Chattogram Development Authority (CDA) is working on the ramp of the elevated expressway, while on the other side, WASA is digging for a sewerage project. After the work was completed, instead of permanent patchwork, the road was merely kept passable using brick chips, which have quickly been washed away by heavy vehicles and rain. On August 13, 2017, a trailer overturned on this very road and fell onto an auto-rickshaw, killing three people.

Local resident Anupam Shil said, "The road deteriorated prior to a year since its renovation. After that, patchwork repairs were carried out. Now, due to WASA's digging, the road is in terrible condition."

Mamunul Haq, a resident of Pran Haridash Road in South Kattali and a teacher at Chittagong University, said, "When it rains, this road turns into a plowed field. No vehicle wants to come here. People have to walk through the mud."

Similar potholes and cracks were found on at least two dozen roads in the city, including Sheikh Mujib Road, Airport Road, Strand Road, Mariners Road, Jamalkhan Road, CDA Avenue, Muradpur-Oxygen Road, Bayezid Road, and Dhaka Trunk Road.

Professor Dr. Asiful Haq, from the Department of Civil Engineering at Chittagong University of Engineering and Technology (CUET), believes the main reasons behind the roads breaking down within a year are an underdeveloped drainage system, design flaws in construction, substandard work, and a lack of supervision.

He said, "Water is bitumen's biggest enemy. Due to the lack of a planned drainage system, rainwater accumulates on the roads, causing them to deteriorate quickly. If roads were built maintaining proper standards, they shouldn't break down even in five to ten years."

However, CCC Chief Engineer Anisur Rahman said, "Substandard work may have pushed roads to dire state in the past. Now, roads are being constructed with quality maintained. The roads renovated last year haven't broken down; damage has occurred elsewhere. Major repairs cannot be undertaken on the roads at this moment. For now, they are being patched up to make them fit for vehicle movement. Once the rain stops, all the roads will be fully repaired through projects and self-funding."