The ongoing floods caused damages to over 6,500 kilometres of highways and rural roads in 28 districts across the country which is estimated to cost over Tk 1.6 billion for reconstruction, said officials concerned.
Road engineers and associated experts said that more damages to the road infrastructures may be incurred if the ongoing flood persists.
It should be mentioned that there are 22,362.821 kilometres of national and regional highways and district roads under the Roads and Highways or RHD while there are 3,53,353.45 kilometres of roads in upazila, union and village level under the local government and engineering department or LGED.
According to officials, about 460 kilometres of national and regional highways and district roads under the Roads and Highways Department have been damaged by the flood.
Besides, over 6,000 kilometres of roads under the Local Government Engineering (LGED) Department have been damaged in in upazila, union and village levels while about 15 kilometres of bridges and culverts have been damaged there.
According to officials, the RHD sought an estimated amount of Tk 291.35 crore for the repairing of thehighways , bridges and culverts while the LGED sought an estimated amount of Tk 1,532.78 crore from the government.
This year the flood started since late June affecting the districts in the country’s central, northern and southern zones. Huge number of villages in the coastal areas in the south and south-western region are still under water. Water entered into these by overflowing rivers and breaching embankments at many points due to excessive pressure during high tide.
According to the RHD Central Flood Information Centre till August 22, the flood damaged 460.248 km portion of 120 highways and roads under 24 road circles under the department.
Flood also damaged 230.597 km portion of 65 highways and roads under the department till Saturday.
The department sought Tk 52.17 crore as short term demand and Tk 239.18 crore for long term demand for repair and maintenance.
The full amount of damages and demand for repairs and maintenance will be fixed after retrieval of floodwater from affected areas, it added.
RHD executive engineer Syed Halimur Rahman said that as per reports they received from different circle offices, communications remained uninterrupted as the concerned circle offices repaired many of the roads which suffered heavy damages.
No bridge under the department was damaged by the flood, he added.
LGED officials said, till August 18 the floodwater partially damaged 6,140.49 kilometres of roads in upazila, union and village levels in 26 districts.
Those districts are Gazipur, Manikganj, Rajbari, Netrokona, Sherpur, Bandarban, Cumilla, Brahmanbaria, Chandpur, Noakhali, Sylhet, Moulavibazar, Sunamganj, Natore, Bogura, Pabna, Sirajganj, Rangpur, Gaibandha, Kurigram, Lalmonirhat, Nilphamari, Panchagarh, Thakurgaon, Jhenaidah and Meherpur.
They said 201 bridges and culverts have also been damaged partially by the flood under 19 districts. Those districts include Thakurgaon, Nilphamari, Rangpur, Gaibandha, Sunamganj, Netrakona, Sherpur, Bandarban, Brahmanbaria, Noakhali, Sirajganj, Panchagarh, and Jhenaidah.
For repairing these roads and bridges and culverts LGED fixed a tentative cost of Tk 1,355.67 crore and Tk 177.11 crore respectively.
SK Md Mohsin, additional chief engineer (road and bridge maintenance) of the LGED, said that the badly affected districts are Jamalpur and Sunamganj.
The department’s head office is yet to get the damage report on Jamalpur district, he said.
He said a bridge at Sharishabari in Jamalpur was badly damaged due to the flood, and roads in Sunamganj district were damaged heavily.
“We are repairing our infrastructures for maintenance while for bigger damages, we will have to prepare a detailed budget and project proposal,” he added.