Year-long Wasa digging on Mirpur's Kamal Soroni leaves residents frustrated

Residents and commuters in Mirpur face major disruption as the Dhaka Water Supply and Sewerage Authority (Wasa) digs up Kamal Soroni (popularly known as the 60-feet road) for a District Metered Area project. 

Even a newly constructed one-kilometre stretch of Kamal Soroni road was excavated by the Wasa. The digging work, which began a year ago, shows no signs of nearing completion, prompting city corporation officials to express concerns about Wasa's slow progress.

A Dhaka North City Corporation official, seeking anonymity, told TBS, "Wasa was granted permission to dig up only a portion of the road at a time and complete the work within a maximum of 15 days."

"However, they have been unable to complete the segment-wise work within the designated time. As a result, most of the road has now been excavated, causing traffic congestion and inconvenience to commuters," he added.

Engineer AKM Shahid Uddin, deputy managing director (O&M) of Dhaka Wasa, told TBS, "The District Metered Area [DMA] work is ongoing in that area, which is causing delays. Despite the inconvenience, there is little we can do at the moment, as we must proceed when project funding is available."

During a visit to the Kamal Soroni road, TBS found that sections of the road were being dug up every 50-100 meters, with Wasa workers present at various spots. 

In front of Monipur Boys' High School and College, Wasa excavated the road to install a pipeline, narrowing it and causing frequent traffic congestion, resulting in difficulties for students.

A student of the school, Ayman Ali, told TBS, "I have seen this portion of the road being dug up for about 3-4 months. Due to the rain, it gets muddy. Two days ago, a friend of mine fell into a big pothole while walking, and we had to rescue him from the mud."

Although buses do not operate on this road, human hauliers "Laguna" do, and they often get stuck in the excavated areas. Local residents and shop owners are increasingly frustrated by the prolonged inconvenience.

"It has been a nightmare for us," laments Aminul, a shopkeeper in the area. 

"The constant noise, dust, and traffic congestion are unbearable. A portion of the road was rebuilt recently, but it was dug up again almost immediately," he said.

The frequent digging has not only led to traffic jams but has also deteriorated the road surface, posing risks to both vehicles and pedestrians. Commuters have noticed longer travel times and more frequent detours, adding to their daily hardships.

Local residents said that different agencies conduct road work at different times, which is another reason for the never-ending excavation work. 

The digging is necessary for essential upgrades to the city's water supply and sewerage infrastructure, said Wasa Engineer AKM Shahid Uddin

"We aim for all organisations, including Wasa, Titas Gas, DPDC, and city corporations, to collaborate and work simultaneously. However, in reality, it is not feasible; we can only dig one road at a time. After completing work on one road, it takes another six months for the City Corporation to grant permission for the next road," he added.

Wasa often conducts "unauthorised road digging"

Dhaka Wasa recently excavated parts of the revamped Dhaka-Chattogram highway in the Jatrabari area without permission from Dhaka South City Corporation. Similar unauthorised digging has also been observed in the Lalbagh area.

The Dhaka South confiscated Dhaka Wasa's construction equipment after discovering that its workers were digging roads in Lalbagh using a permit with a forged signature from a relevant corporation officer.

As a penalty for the illegal excavation, Dhaka South has fined Dhaka Wasa approximately Tk14 lakh. Mithun Chandra Sheel, executive engineer of South City Zone-3, sent a letter to the concerned officials of Dhaka Wasa, which was received by Dhaka Wasa on 9 July.

During an event last Saturday, Dhaka South City Mayor Sheikh Fazle Noor Taposh said, "When we enforce strict measures, various organisations, including Wasa, engage in unauthorised digging and damage the roads. The RCC road in Jatrabari constructed for Tk50 crore was dug up without permission. How long can we expect this road to endure?"

Wasa engineer AKM Shahid Uddin told TBS, "We will take action against those who forged signatures to dig up the Jatrabari road without permission. We regret having to excavate new roads, but the current system makes coordination difficult."