Disaster management department bridges in pitiful state as project ends

The connecting roads constructed on either side of the culvert over the Alaipur Canal at the Koyla union of Kalaroa upazila in Satkhira have been damaged.

At Alaipur in the Koyla Union of Kalaroa Upazila in Satkhira, the roads constructed on both sides of the culvert have sunk. The soil on both sides has eroded as well. Consequently, the culvert has become unsuitable for traffic and has been lying idle mostly.

This culvert has been constructed under the 'Construction of Bridges/Culverts up to 15 metres length on rural roads' project of Department of Disaster Management. Under this project, 13,000 bridges and culverts are being constructed in the country. The expenditure has been estimated at Tk 65.78 billion. The project was taken up without any feasibility study.

A detailed monitoring report of the project has been prepared by the Implementation Monitoring and Evaluation Department (IMED) of the Ministry of Planning. As many as 196 bridges of this project were inspected by IMED as part of intensive inspection. Of those, 56 were found to have some sort of problem.

According to the IMED report, 23 connecting roads of bridges (approach roads) have sunk. Seven bridges are too high, 12 bridges have narrowed canals and the quality was poor for at least 10. The site of 2 bridges have not been selected properly, and the railings of two have already been broken.

Under this project there will be 7,800 box culverts up to 12 metres in length. Of these, 6,427 culverts have been completed. Another 5,200 girder bridges with height of more than 12 metres will be constructed. Of these, only 464 have been completed.

The project started in January 2019 and was scheduled to end by June 2022.However, the tender could not be issued on schedule due to the outbreak of the coronavirus and insufficient government funds. Consequently, the project's timeline was extended until June 2024. However, the actual progress of the project has been 50 per cent till April this year. As a result, the concerned persons feel that it is quite difficult to complete the remaining 50 per cent of the project within this period.

Due to the Russia-Ukraine war, the transition from the impact of the Covid pandemic, the government took various measures to reduce spending last year. As part of this, development projects are prioritised into categories A, B and C. Around 25 per cent of the total government allocation for B category projects is deducted. That is, 75 per cent of the government allocation can be spent on these projects. As the project is in B category, the government has reduced the subsidy.

The delegation of IMED found on the ground that under this project, the wing walls of the 13-metre-long bridge built over the Tokania Canal in Ramgarh Union in Ramgarh Upazila of Khagrachari are gradually collapsing. The wing

wall of the 13-metre bridge built over the Halda canal in Patachhara union is dilapidating due to the soil erosion. The soil on both sides of an 11-metre bridge constructed in Lakshmichari union has eroded, causing the link road to sink. Additionally, the plaster on the bridge railing has deteriorated due to the use of insufficient cement.

Tk 1.65 million has been spent on the construction of the six-metre culvert on the canal of Alaipur in Koyla union of Kalaroa upazila of Satkhira. As its wing walls are low, the soil on both sides has eroded causing the connecting road to sink. As a result, it has become unusable.

Koyla Union Chairman Sheikh Sohel Rana informed Prothom Alo that the culvert is situated a bit away from the main road, and there are no connecting roads on either side. As a result, there is minimal human traffic in that area. Despite the proximity of the main road, a culvert was required there, yet it has not been constructed.

The height of the bridge constructed under this project in Deluti Union of Paikgacha Upazila in Khulna is significantly greater than that of the road, causing issues for the movement of small vehicles. Due to the bridge's shorter length relative to the canal, soil had to be filled on both sides of the canal. Unfortunately, due to the limited height of the wing walls, soil erosion has become a concern.

Construction work on a bridge is currently underway in Rasulpur Union of Sadulyapur Upazila in Gaibandha. The inspection team from IMED noted that the bridge's construction quality is not up to standard. The considerable height of the bridge above the road is anticipated to pose challenges for vehicle movement. Similarly, a bridge under construction in Pirgacha Upazila of Rangpur district is also being built at a substantially higher elevation than the road.

Project director Shafiqul Islam informed Prothom Alo that the IMED report does not entirely reflect this project, but it does highlight certain issues. Manpower shortage is one of the challenges being faced. Additionally, there are some bridges with considerable height. However, raising the height was necessary to prevent navigation difficulties. The IMED recommendations have been carefully considered.

IMED identified weaknesses in the bridge design within the project. Canals' sizes and depths vary across regions, yet the project has only adopted two fixed shapes, which do not align with the actual conditions. The wing walls are also notably undersized, contributing to the collapse of connecting roads for elevated bridges. Some bridges' heights significantly surpass that of the road, causing vehicles to struggle while ascending.

The IMED report also highlighted a lack of monitoring throughout the project. At the upazila level, there is only one diploma engineer available for technical assistance. Supervision of the project is conducted from the head office in Dhaka.

As part of the mid-term evaluation of the project, field visits were conducted in Cox's Bazar, Sunamganj, and Gopalganj districts. The evaluation recommends developing distinct designs for each bridge. Furthermore, it suggests implementing asphalt surfacing on both sides of the bridge, constructing retaining walls for soil stabilisation, avoiding the use of wooden shuttering, and emphasising the importance of not undertaking bridge construction projects without concurrent road development.

IMED, on close inspection, found that the recommendations made in the mid-term evaluation were not implemented.

While implementing the project at the field level, it can be seen that the construction of the bridge is necessary at the most necessary and important places, but the bridge cannot be constructed under the project due to the obligation of up to 15 metres. In many cases several bridges could not be constructed for only an extra few feet. In such a situation, it was decided to increase the length of the bridge by 2-1 metres in the revised project proposal in July 2021. But it was not implemented.

Bridges or culverts that are already in trouble are not being renovated due to lack of provision for maintenance and repair in the project. As a result, within a few years, they will dilapidate, according to the IMED report.

Regarding the matter, Adil Muhammad Khan, executive director of the Institute for Planning and Development (IPD), a research and policy analysis organisation, told Prothom Alo, "How such a big project is taken up without a feasibility study is a big question. Employing a uniform design for the bridges can lead to complications. If these bridges are not maintained, they will become more unusable over time.”

* This report, originally published in Prothom Alo print edition, has been rewritten in English by Syed Faiz Ahmed