Economic growth is driving up the need to upgrade rural roads

Rural roads have long been considered the lifeline of Bangladesh—a pathway of employment, poverty reduction, and an access conduit for health, education, and markets. These roads now play a pivotal role in the higher economic growth of the nation as well. They are crucial for industries, small and medium enterprises and the overall well-being of the rural population. 

However, rural roads now need a transformation. This write-up explains the situation, challenges, and remedies for the revival and upgradation of rural roads for the next level of economic development.

The lifeline of the Bangladeshi heartland

Karnaphuli is an upazila beside the River Karnaphuli. The river Karnaphuli, from its origin to its destination on the Bay of Bengal, crosses several upazilas in Rangamati and Chattagram. Steel, power plants, oxygen, and other heavy industries have been established along the riverbank in the last twenty years. 

The heavy vehicles and trailers carrying up to a 40–50 tonne load have severely damaged the rural roads connecting these industries. These roads are now being reconstructed. 

There are more than twenty upazilas along the rivers that are being industrialised rapidly. Some are being turned into 'private economic zones." Gazaria Upazila of Munshiganj district is such an example, there are three economic zones there. 

Economic zones and heavy industries have developed along the rivers like Karnaphuli, Sangu, Matamuhuri, Meghna, Surma, Kushiara, Kalni, Shitalakshya, Turag, Jamuna, Teesta, Kirtankhola, etc.

Nimsar is an important haat at Budichang Upazila, Cumilla. It is a hub that collects vegetables and fruits from the northern and southern parts of Bangladesh and distributes them in different parts of the Chattagram and Sylhet divisions. 

In the northern part of the country, vegetables and fruits are repacked and loaded onto heavy trucks at Bogra. Before that, medium-sized trucks collect vegetables and fruits from the farm premises in Panchagarh, Dinajpur, Rangpur, Thakurgaon, and other districts.

Some southern districts use Satmail haat, Jashore, to repack and load them onto heavy trucks. Traders at Nimsar report that the vegetables from their farm take less than 48 hours to reach the consumer. Within the first phase of those 48 hours, they are collected from the farm, packed, repacked at Bogra or Jashore, and transported to Nimsar.

In the second phase, the traders at Nimsar, pack and repack the vegetables and fruits in medium- or small-sized trucks and transport them to markets in Chattagram and Sylhet divisions. 

Both phases happen within the time span of 48 hours, as farm-level access for trucks has become easier and the overall road network has improved. Farm-level rural roads are now more occupied by trucks, whereas they were mostly used by vans or mini trucks a decade ago.

The roads of the islands had less scope in the past for heavy vehicles to ply on them. Recently, we visited Kutubdia island of Cox's Bazar, Hizla of Barisal, and Fulchari of Gaibandha. Kutubdia Island is an island that does not even have a ferry for vehicle transportation to the island. Still, many tractors and mini trucks have been transported to meet their economic demands.

The big tractors carrying salt bags from the farm to the jetty weigh around 20 tonnes, including their axles. Hizla and Fulchari also have heavy tractors for agriculture or other local transportation. The tractors are wider than mini trucks and vans, requiring wider roads.

A very different set of vehicles is plying rural roads compared to a decade ago. The residents of villages are dependent on LPG for fuel. Medium or mini trucks are plying village-level roads and delivering LPG cylinders to local shops. 

Now village shops sell bread and similar items that expire within five to seven days, which are not produced in the village. They are produced in large factories near Dhaka and transported to the villages through a strong distribution channel. 

Rural youths are employed in different marketing and distributorship positions by well-known companies such as RFL, Abul Khair Group, Fresh, and others. The changes in employment and business have started with rural roads.

Impact of upgraded rural roads on education

What is the benefit of a well-serviced, wider rural road? It's immense. 

Let's start with the primary schools. A good percentage of primary school teachers stay in towns. They commute daily to their workplace, the primary school. The condition of the rural roads dictates whether they reach their workplace on time or are late. 

The quality of the lessons they deliver to the kids depends on the duration of their stay at school. When the road condition improves, they reach the school earlier and stay full-time. 

When the road condition worsens, they are late to reach the school and leave earlier. The condition of rural roads affects their health, energy, and attention to their delivery to the students. Therefore, it can be inferred that the quality of rural roads significantly influences the quality of education. 

The progress towards the upgradation of rural roads

During its 7th Five-Year Plan period (2016–2020), the Local Government Engineering Department (LGED) started to upgrade the busier rural roads and transform them into double lanes. 

The double-lane rural roads can distribute heavier axle loads effectively without damaging their pavement. There has been a significant increase in annual average daily traffic (AADT) and commercial vehicles per day (CVD) on rural roads. Double-lane rural roads can accommodate more traffic, considering road safety aspects.

One important economic assessment is 'travel time.' Double-lane rural roads can considerably save travel time and improve rural people's quality of life. In the 8th Five-Year Plan period, the target to develop double-lane rural roads is 16,000 km.

Challenges of developing upgraded rural roads

One of the most vital challenges of upgrading rural roads is that it requires wider road embankments and, hence, more land. Historically, rural roads in Bangladesh were developed on lands donated and contributed by local people. 

The Local Government Engineering Department (LGED) and local government institutions have ownership rights to the road embankment. The inadequacy of road embankments affects us in many ways.

Without adequate road width and embankment, the distribution of wheel load is disrupted, which causes subsequent rupture and damage to the road pavement. It is also one of the most important obstacles to road safety. 

Therefore, significant land acquisition is required for the upgradation of rural roads. Considering the more than three hundred thousand km of rural roads, substantial land acquisition will be required, which will incur more expenditure and reduce agricultural land.

Challenges to the quality of rural roads

Over time, The quality of rural roads depends on several factors.  These are: 

Adequate road embankment: Ensuring adequate road embankment depends on estimated traffic and load before construction.

Rural planning and development control: It has been observed that drainage structures are blocked by new construction, leading to waterlogging and damage to the roads. Preparing rural master plans and development control at the upazila level can ease the problem.

Overloaded vehicle: The plying of overloaded vehicles on narrower roads deteriorates the quality of roads. Involvement of local government institutions can ease the problem.

Quality of construction and maintenance: LGED has been involved in mobile maintenance (truck-mounted equipment, bitumen, stone, etc.) since 2000, but it is still based out of the district office. More than 60 upazilas have more than 500 km of paved roads and 159 upazilas have 300–500 km of paved roads. Therefore, making the Upazila the base station for mobile maintenance is imperative. Recently, the Asian Development Bank and the government agreed to provide mini-trucks at busier upazilas for the mobile maintenance of rural roads.

Asset management: The budget for the maintenance of rural roads is considerably low compared to the requirements. Asset management practices of the government at all levels can be a great tool for the sustainability of assets at the rural level.

Strategies for optimised upgrade

LGED is developing a core rural road network at every upazila and district level. The core rural road network will connect institutions, growth centres, markets, important establishments, industries, educational institutions, hospitals, etc.

A nationwide survey, including a traffic survey, is being carried out. The survey and study will help develop a 'core road network.' 

There is also another strategy that may bring a balance between road embankment, budget, and agriculture.  Under the My Village-My Town Technical Assistance Project, LGED devised a 'Social Forestry' strategy in road embankments that may pave the way for widening rural roads without land acquisition and hampering agriculture. 

This strategy will be piloted in the My Village-My Town: Pilot Village Development Project on low-traffic rural roads. Rural roads are not only roads; they are pathways for employment, livelihood, improved health education and women's empowerment. The investment in upgrading the rural road network will create pathways towards the next level of economic development at the rural level and enhance the well-being and quality of life of rural people.

Abul Monzur Md Sadeque. TBS Sketch

Abul Monzur Md Sadeque is the Project Director of  My Village-My Town: Pilot Village Development Project under the Local Government Engineering Department.